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Diary of a Victorian Teenager

Diary of a Victorian Teenager

Have you ever watched a period drama and wondered what was really going on in...
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What can a dress tell us? A look at cotton and the cotton industry

What can a dress tell us? A look at cotton and the cotton industry

Discover what this cotton dress can tell us about the history of the cotton industry and how people's attitudes towards fashion have changed over the last 200 years.
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Decolonising our Life On Earth Gallery

Decolonising our Life On Earth Gallery

Find out how we've become more open about the colonial history of some of our collection through refreshing the Life On Earth gallery at Leeds City Museum.
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Troubling Tales at Temple Newsam: Venetian Wall Brackets

Troubling Tales at Temple Newsam: Venetian Wall Brackets

The fourth blog post in a series exploring objects from Temple Newsam portraying black figures and looking to include them in the narrative.
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Young Fashion Curators Needed!

Young Fashion Curators Needed!

Lotherton is looking for young volunteers interested in fashion to help curate part of an exhibition all about children’s clothing.
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Powerchairs in Sport

Powerchairs in Sport

A blog post exploring the history of power wheelchairs and how they can help people with disabilities to take part in sport.
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Troubling Tales at Temple Newsam: Isabella, Marchioness of Hertford’s Hatchment

Troubling Tales at Temple Newsam: Isabella, Marchioness of Hertford’s Hatchment

The third blog post in a series exploring objects from Temple Newsam portraying black figures and looking to include them in the narrative.
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Troubling Tales at Temple Newsam: 16th Century Mirror Frame

Troubling Tales at Temple Newsam: 16th Century Mirror Frame

The second blog post in a series exploring objects from Temple Newsam portraying black figures and looking to include them in the narrative.
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Troubling Tales at Temple Newsam: Portrait of Henrietta Anne, Duchess of Orleans and unknown attendant

Troubling Tales at Temple Newsam: Portrait of Henrietta Anne, Duchess of Orleans and unknown attendant

The first blog post in a series exploring objects from Temple Newsam portraying black figures and looking to include them in the narrative.
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Temple Newsam and the Grand Tour

Temple Newsam and the Grand Tour

Discover how the European Grand Tour and souvenirs brought home by Temple Newsam's residents helped shape the house as we know it today.
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Megalodon Teeth

Megalodon Teeth

Find out more about the megalodon, a gigantic extinct shark species, and why its fossilised teeth are so special.
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Passover and Jewish objects in the collection

Passover and Jewish objects in the collection

Chag Pesach Sameach! Our latest blog explains Passover, and spotlights Jewish objects in the collection.
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Boxer’s Belt

Boxer’s Belt

Curator Catherine investigates the mysterious origins of a boxer's belt in the Leeds Museums and Galleries collection.
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Poppy Wingate: Temple Newsam’s Golfing Pioneer

Poppy Wingate: Temple Newsam’s Golfing Pioneer

Poppy Wingate was England’s first professional woman golfer, and she began her career right here at Temple Newsam.
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The Greener Museum: A Case Study For Sustainably Redisplaying A Museum Gallery

The Greener Museum: A Case Study For Sustainably Redisplaying A Museum Gallery

Curator Clare Brown explains how we tried to make the Life On Earth gallery as planet-friendly as possible.
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Football Works

Football Works

Curator Lucy Moore examines one leaflet from our social history collection and reveals a little known corner of Leeds’ sporting past.
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The Greener Museum: A Case Study for Environmental Messaging in Museums

The Greener Museum: A Case Study for Environmental Messaging in Museums

Curator Clare Brown talks through new approaches to climate change messaging in the revamped Life On Earth Gallery.
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A Tale of Two Widowhoods

A Tale of Two Widowhoods

Discover the stories of two women born 170 years apart who both left their mark on Temple Newsam House.
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Roman Sculptural Fragments

Roman Sculptural Fragments

Find out about classical mythology and archaeology through our collection of Roman sculptural fragments, researched by Careers for All placement Sarah.
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Deciphering a 1960s Dress from a Photograph

Deciphering a 1960s Dress from a Photograph

Discover the dress styles of the 1960s in our latest blog, researched by placement student Mominah using a photograph in the Leeds Museums and Galleries collection.
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Shifting Perspectives at Leeds Art Gallery

Shifting Perspectives at Leeds Art Gallery

Find out what visitors have to say about the Shifting Perspectives exhibition at Leeds Art Gallery.
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What to Wear in the 1800s

What to Wear in the 1800s

Delve into the conundrum of what to wear as a wealthy woman in the 1800s.
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Captain James Walker Foreman

Captain James Walker Foreman

Leeds-born Captain James Walker Foreman flew 637 hours on the front line in World War One, and survived a bullet wound from below.
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Skating in Edwardian Leeds

Skating in Edwardian Leeds

In 1909, there were 5 skating rinks in Leeds. Using historic maps, Catherine Robins has found out exactly where they were and what became of the buildings after they closed.
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Silhouettes & Shapewear

Silhouettes & Shapewear

Explore the dos and don'ts of showing off your body in the 1800s.
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Jill McKnight: Desire Lines commission with Leeds Art Gallery and the British Library

Jill McKnight: Desire Lines commission with Leeds Art Gallery and the British Library

Artist Jill McKnight describes the process behind creating the Desire Lines exhibition, influenced by Leeds Art Gallery’s collection and the British Library's sound archive.
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Rooted in History: Zea Mays

Rooted in History: Zea Mays

Corn is more than just a food. Discover its many uses and fascinating history, explored through the herbarium specimens in the Leeds collection.
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Combat Boots in British Subculture

Combat Boots in British Subculture

Delve into the history of combat boots, which in the last 60 years have been adopted by a wide range of social groups trying to create an image of power.
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Sensory Stories in a Virtual World

Sensory Stories in a Virtual World

During lockdown, our learning team at Leeds City Museum ran weekly virtual Sensory Storytime workshops to stay connected with families.
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Rooted in History

Rooted in History

Leeds is home to thousands of dried plant specimens. Discover the fascinating history of the collection, which is the focus of an exciting new project.
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Preserving our Plastic Shoes

Preserving our Plastic Shoes

Some of our shoes containing plastic are starting to mould or disintegrate. Find out why, and how we plan to preserve them.
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Hidden Histories of Disabled Workers

Hidden Histories of Disabled Workers

Discover the untold histories of disabled mill workers from Leeds, and why their stories are often 'hidden'.
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The Temple Newsam Picture Gallery Suite: under the microscope

The Temple Newsam Picture Gallery Suite: under the microscope

Delve deeper into the furniture on display in the Picture Gallery at Temple Newsam, using microscopic technology.
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The Temple Newsam Picture Gallery Suite

The Temple Newsam Picture Gallery Suite

Discover the design themes in the Picture Gallery at Temple Newsam, through the furniture within it.
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Introducing the Collections in Dialogue commission with Leeds Art Gallery and the British Library

Introducing the Collections in Dialogue commission with Leeds Art Gallery and the British Library

I am an artist based in Leeds working across sculpture, writing, installation, drawing and print...
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Ancient Egyptian Spirituality

Ancient Egyptian Spirituality

Discover the stories of Ancient Egyptian spirituality told in the Ancient Worlds gallery at Leeds City Museum, and why we can still learn from them today.
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Diversifying the Content on MyLearning

Diversifying the Content on MyLearning

MyLearning's ambition is to help teachers provide real and diverse representation across the curriculum. Izzy Bartley explains their content strategy in our latest blog.
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The Triumph Werke Scooter

The Triumph Werke Scooter

Careers For All student Abu swots us up on his favourite object in the Leeds Discovery Centre collection: the Triumph Werke scooter.
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Transcribing the Past

Transcribing the Past

Volunteers share their experience working on the transcription of a notebook, found in the rubble of Leeds City Museum after the Leeds Blitz of 1941.
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The Tiger Who Came to Leeds

The Tiger Who Came to Leeds

The tiger on display at Leeds City Museum is one of our most well-known and popular objects. Curator Clare explores its troublesome origins, and how it came to be in our collection.
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Autistic Experiences in Museums

Autistic Experiences in Museums

Volunteer Sammy is an autistic person, and is passionate about helping museums understand how to be more accessible.
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Decolonising the Curriculum

Decolonising the Curriculum

Our learning team work closely with schools to shape, change and develop the curriculum, so that the pupils in our city are told whole and diverse stories at primary school.
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Lanuvium and the Leeds Blitz

Lanuvium and the Leeds Blitz

This notebook contains lists of objects unearthed from the rubble left by the Leeds Blitz in 1941. But how did they come to be here in the first place?
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Dead Inspiring Women in Science: Rachel Carson

Dead Inspiring Women in Science: Rachel Carson

Celebrate International Women's Day with the story of scientist Rachel Carson, who exposed the harmful effects of pesticides.
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Memorialising the AIDS Crisis

Memorialising the AIDS Crisis

LGBTQ+ communities, archives and museums are fighting to make sure that silenced queer experiences of the AIDS crisis are remembered.
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Happy Birthday Decimal Currency

Happy Birthday Decimal Currency

50 years ago we swapped shillings for pounds. Kat Baxter explores the switch to Decimal Currency through objects in our collection in our latest blog.
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The Howdills of Hanover Square

The Howdills of Hanover Square

Duncan McCargo has been researching the lives of The Howdill family, who lived on Hanover Square in Leeds from 1907 to 1993. The twist: they lived in the house he now lives in!
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A Tale of Teazles

A Tale of Teazles

Volunteer Rob teases out the fascinating history of teazles and their importance to many industries in our latest blog.
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Nature Prevails at Kirkstall Abbey

Nature Prevails at Kirkstall Abbey

Kirkstall Abbey, despite it's turbulent past, is now a peaceful place for personal reflections. Joe Williams explores its history in our latest blog.
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Thwaite Watermill at 30

Thwaite Watermill at 30

Thwaite Watermill is of the last examples of a working water-powered mill in Britain, and 2020 marks 30 years since it became a museum. Visitor assistant Chloe Fowler shares it's fascinating history.
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West Yorkshire’s Local Authority Museums: Supporting the West Yorkshire Economy

West Yorkshire’s Local Authority Museums: Supporting the West Yorkshire Economy

New figures show that last year, West Yorkshire’s local authority museum services were visited by...
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Bai Bureh and Sierra Leone

Bai Bureh and Sierra Leone

John McGoldrick tells the inspiring story of Bai Bureh, the Sierra Leone chief and military leader who led the revolt against colonial taxation.
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Re-framing our Dress and Textile Collection: Everyday cotton

Re-framing our Dress and Textile Collection: Everyday cotton

Vanessa Jones explains how intrinsic slavery was in the production of cotton goods in the final post in our Re-framing the Dress and Textile Collection series.
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Open Minds with the Preservative Party

Open Minds with the Preservative Party

Leeds City Museum's young volunteers, the Preservative Party, have been working hard during lockdown on a new display exploring mental health.
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Re-framing our Dress and Textile Collection: A toile

Re-framing our Dress and Textile Collection: A toile

In the second blog post in our Re-framing the Collection series, Vanessa Jones explains how this historic textile shows the exploitation of African slaves and Native Americans in the aftermath of the American Revolution.
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Leeds City Museum sounds out city ahead of new musical display

Leeds City Museum sounds out city ahead of new musical display

Singers and performers from Leeds are being asked to help capture the sound of a...
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Re-framing our Dress and Textile Collection: Embroidered maps

Re-framing our Dress and Textile Collection: Embroidered maps

Many textile objects that reflect black history are historic pieces. In this blog, curator Vanessa explains why our embroidered maps are so closely linked with the transatlantic slave trade story.
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City’s museums and galleries welcome back visitors

City’s museums and galleries welcome back visitors

Museum-lovers in Leeds can rediscover millions of years of history now council-run venues across the...
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Conservation in Lockdown

Conservation in Lockdown

Whilst our venues were closed during lockdown, our collections still needed caring for. Conservator Emma talks us through how our objects and historic houses were looked after.
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Dead Inspiring: Insect collections and empowering young scientists

Dead Inspiring: Insect collections and empowering young scientists

Our Dead Inspiring project will inspire a new generation of female scientists and conservationists, and show that entomology is a subject for everyone to be a part of.
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South Asia at Leeds Museums & Galleries

South Asia at Leeds Museums & Galleries

Curator Adam Jaffer highlights some of the gems in our world cultures collection for South Asian Heritage Month.
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Follow the Money! Acknowledging Colonialism in Leeds Industry

Follow the Money! Acknowledging Colonialism in Leeds Industry

Industrial history is steeped in colonialism, which is too often brushed over in museum collections. Curator John McGoldrick says it's time museums account for where and how our industries have flourished.
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Community craft packs for Lotherton locals

Community craft packs for Lotherton locals

Lotherton's assistant community curator Stephanie Davies has devised a creative way to keep in touch...
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How Museums Can Help Schools With Recovery Curriculums

How Museums Can Help Schools With Recovery Curriculums

Lockdown has disrupted education for school pupils. Kate Fellows explains how museums and galleries are able to lend a hand to help schools bridge the gaps.
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Decolonisation and Natural Science Collections

Decolonisation and Natural Science Collections

Objects in our collection were often discovered by people who aren't acknowledged in their descriptions. Rebecca Machin explores why, and what we need to do about it.
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Behind the Picture Gallery at Temple Newsam

Behind the Picture Gallery at Temple Newsam

Get to know the history behind the impressive Picture Gallery at Temple Newsam.
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Leeds During WW2

Leeds During WW2

Discover the story of Leeds during the Second World War, in our latest blog by Chloe Fowler.
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Let’s Talk About Segs

Let’s Talk About Segs

Find out why the soles of your shoes owe their longevity to a factory in Armley, in our latest industrial history blog.
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Youth Engagement in Museums

Youth Engagement in Museums

Why should museums do youth engagement? Why not! This blog gets to the root of why engaging young people in what we do is so important.
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Humans of the Leeds Pals

Humans of the Leeds Pals

Discover the fascinating lives of 'Leeds Pals' Arthur Eschle, Leonard Baruxaki and Richard Dales, who joined the the 15th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment in World War One.
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Gloves: Fashion and Meaning

Gloves: Fashion and Meaning

From social etiquette to fashion statements, swot up on the history of gloves with curator Vanessa Jones, with objects from our Dress and Textiles collection.
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Inside the Colour Garden at Leeds Industrial Museum

Inside the Colour Garden at Leeds Industrial Museum

The Colour Garden at Leeds Industrial Museum helps volunteers to improve their own wellbeing by improving outdoor spaces. Catch up on how the garden's looking in this wholesome read by Chris Sharp.
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Third Class to Pandharpur

Third Class to Pandharpur

Curator John McGoldrick tells the story of an unhappy traveller on the Basri Light Railway in India, on a pilgrimage in the 1930s. Find out how Leeds Forge Company was to blame...
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Make your own Museum Window

Make your own Museum Window

Join people across Leeds creating their own Museum Windows for themselves and others to enjoy. Help Leeds City Museum collect new Leeds stories!
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Smallpox and Temple Newsam

Smallpox and Temple Newsam

Discover the history of smallpox in this blog from Josh Turner, including how one unlucky Viscount of Temple Newsam contracted it in the 1700s.
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Frank Kidson and the Sounds of Our City

Frank Kidson and the Sounds of Our City

Sounds of Our City, the wonderful, shiny new exhibition has just opened at Abbey House Museum, looking at music over the centuries in Leeds.
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A Long-finned Pilot Whale Skeleton

A Long-finned Pilot Whale Skeleton

Learn the story behind our whale skeleton, heading for Leeds City Museum, and what we can learn from the bones.
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Intervening in the Woodwork Exhibition

Intervening in the Woodwork Exhibition

Artist Alana Jelinek writes about the artistic, community intervention into our Woodwork exhibition.
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Do Your:bit in Leeds

Do Your:bit in Leeds

Find out about our coding workshops for young people, as part of the BBC's digital making challenge.
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Samurai Swords at Leeds Discovery Centre

Samurai Swords at Leeds Discovery Centre

Discover the fascinating history behind the Samurai Swords in our collection.
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Creating a Sustainable Exhibition

Creating a Sustainable Exhibition

Discover how we kept sustainability at the forefront of our Beavers to Weavers exhibition.
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Armistice & After: a creative commemoration programme in Leeds

Armistice & After: a creative commemoration programme in Leeds

Read about the success of our Armistice & After programme, which involved local communities and volunteers.
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The Origins of the Gascoigne Family

The Origins of the Gascoigne Family

Delve into the stories and myths surrounding medieval residents of Lotherton, the Gascoigne family.
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Bringing WW1 Photographs to Life in 3D

Bringing WW1 Photographs to Life in 3D

Find out how we've created 3D videos from wartime stereoscope cards, and see them on display.
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Irene Manton and Ida Roper

Irene Manton and Ida Roper

Irene Manton and Ida Roper were two brilliant women botanists collecting plants in two very different ways.
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Gentleman Jack and 19th Century Sleeves

Gentleman Jack and 19th Century Sleeves

Vanessa Jones gives context to the costumes featured in the new BBC One drama, Gentleman Jack.
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Record Shops in Leeds

Record Shops in Leeds

Discover the impressive history of record shops throughout Leeds.
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Leeds Festival and its Posh Predecessor

Leeds Festival and its Posh Predecessor

Ahead of the upcoming Music exhibition in 2020, Ellie Parmenter has uncovered an early predecessor to the Leeds Festival we know today.
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We want your #LeedsThreads

We want your #LeedsThreads

We want you to send us your #LeedsThreads for next year's shopping exhibition at Leeds City Museum.
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Celebrating Cistercian Women

Celebrating Cistercian Women

Discover more about the daily lives of the monks of Kirkstall Abbey from archaeology curator Kat Baxter's recent visit to a Norwegian Cistercian monastery.
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Female Representation in Natural Science Collections

Female Representation in Natural Science Collections

Rebecca Machin celebrates the beautiful and amazing females animals here in the collections of Leeds Museums and Galleries.
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The Youth Collective Explore Works on Paper

The Youth Collective Explore Works on Paper

The Youth Collective have been working on an exciting new project on women’s representation of women.
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Schools Loan Boxes – The Space Box

Schools Loan Boxes – The Space Box

Our schools loans box membership scheme is now up and running with over 25 boxes to choose from, with subjects ranging from the Ancient Greeks to chocolate.
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Who Should Write our Object Labels?

Who Should Write our Object Labels?

With over 1.3 million objects, we've been exploring the different ways that our audiences interpret them.
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Letters to John Joseph Cotman

Letters to John Joseph Cotman

Discover the fascinating trove of letters from the archive of Sydney Kitson in Leeds Art Gallery.
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Teacher Training Research Shortlisted for National Creative Learning Guild Award

Teacher Training Research Shortlisted for National Creative Learning Guild Award

Find out how we train arts savvy teachers for the future.
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The Forgotten Street Traders of Georgian and Victorian Britain

The Forgotten Street Traders of Georgian and Victorian Britain

Street vendors were an inherent aspect of Victorian Britain, but often forgotten...
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The Origins of the Gascoigne Family

The Origins of the Gascoigne Family

Chris Bovis navigates the largely destroyed history of the Gascoigne family.
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Cross-Dressing, Elopement and Travels with Percy Shelley: the extraordinary life of Margaret King

Cross-Dressing, Elopement and Travels with Percy Shelley: the extraordinary life of Margaret King

Whilst digitising our collection, we discovered a publication whose author has a very interesting history...
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Sculpture and Microscopic Photography

Sculpture and Microscopic Photography

Collections and Contingency is an exhibition of sculpture and microscopic photography by Deborah Gardner, placed in and around the fascinating artefacts and specimens in our store at Leeds Discovery Centre. 
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Leeds Migration Stories

Leeds Migration Stories

Discover the colourful histories behind our city's many communities with David Harrison.
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The Children of the 1891 Fancy Dress Ball: The Passavant Women

The Children of the 1891 Fancy Dress Ball: The Passavant Women

Miss Nora Passavant dressed as 'The Leeds Daily Papers' at the 1891 Fancy Dress Ball. Joshua King explores the life of Nora and the rest of the Passavant women.
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Beavers to Weavers: The Wonderful World of Animal Makers

Beavers to Weavers: The Wonderful World of Animal Makers

Discover the message behind Leeds City Museum's latest exhibition, about what animals do and how they live their lives.
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Growing for Colour: The Leeds Industrial Museum Gardens

Growing for Colour: The Leeds Industrial Museum Gardens

Every week, volunteers from the local community gather to work on and maintain the Colour Gardens at Leeds Industrial Museum.
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The Preservative Party Visit Berlin

The Preservative Party Visit Berlin

The Preservative Party, Leeds City Museum’s group for young volunteers, tell us about their recent trip to Berlin.
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The Children of the 1891 Fancy Dress Ball: Wilfred Nicholson

The Children of the 1891 Fancy Dress Ball: Wilfred Nicholson

The second in our 1891 Fancy Dress Ball series, this time on the life of Wilfred Nicholson who attended dressed as Mephistopheles.
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Samson Fox and Leeds Forge: From the Banks of the Aire to the Cote d’Azure

Samson Fox and Leeds Forge: From the Banks of the Aire to the Cote d’Azure

Discover the immense influence of Samson Fox, who made his fortune through pioneering products manufactured by Leeds Forge.
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Conserving a Tibetan Headdress

Conserving a Tibetan Headdress

A rare Tibetan headdress with gorgeous turquoise and coral stones has just been conserved for display in Himalayan Fashion by Karen Horton.
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Leeds Infirmary and the 1868 National Exhibition

Leeds Infirmary and the 1868 National Exhibition

In May 1968 the Leeds Infirmary (now the Leeds General Infirmary) opened its doors at its current location on Great George Street. However, its first visitors were not in need of medical attention but art lovers.
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The Children of the 1891 Fancy Dress Ball: The Scarborough Loe’s

The Children of the 1891 Fancy Dress Ball: The Scarborough Loe’s

The first in a series exploring the children who attended the Juvenile Fancy Dress Ball at Leeds Town Hall in 1891.
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The Bomb that Struck Leeds City Museum, 1941

The Bomb that Struck Leeds City Museum, 1941

On 15 March 1941, Leeds City Museum - as it stood in it's original spot on Park Row - was struck by a bomb.
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Alicia Walton and the Role of the 19th Century Superintendent of Nurses

Alicia Walton and the Role of the 19th Century Superintendent of Nurses

While looking for objects associated with Leeds General Infirmary, Rebecca Fallas was drawn to a picture of this kindly looking but clearly formidable woman.
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The Bones of Home Education and Museums

The Bones of Home Education and Museums

Natalie Haigh reveals the positive impact of running workshops for home educating families.
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Chimney Sweep Portraits in the Social History Collection

Chimney Sweep Portraits in the Social History Collection

Explore the portraits in our 'Sweepiana' collection of items relating to chimney sweeps with Leila Prescott.
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Mary Wood: Dewsbury’s Wool Queen

Mary Wood: Dewsbury’s Wool Queen

Uncover the story of Mary Wood, Dewsbury’s Wool Queen from 1931-32, in light of the Queens of Industry exhibition.
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Sandford Awards for Heritage Education

Sandford Awards for Heritage Education

Leeds City Museum, Temple Newsam House, Abbey House Museum and Kirkstall Abbey all gained the 5 year Sandford Award for Heritage Education.
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Our New Primary School Membership scheme

Our New Primary School Membership scheme

It's here! Find out everything you need to know about the three levels of membership.
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Farewell to ‘Skeletons’ at Leeds City Museum

Farewell to ‘Skeletons’ at Leeds City Museum

On 7 January we said goodbye to our final visitors to the last leg of the exhibition tour, developed in partnership with Wellcome Collection and the Museum of London.
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The Bird Egg Collection

The Bird Egg Collection

Claire Miles explores our LMG's Bird Egg collection during her placement with our Natural Sciences Collection.
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The Yorkshire Highlights of Skeletons: Our Buried Bones

The Yorkshire Highlights of Skeletons: Our Buried Bones

Katherine Baxter explores the Yorkshire skeletons in Skeletons: Our Buried Bones at Leeds City Museum.
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Leeds Museums and Galleries gets International

Leeds Museums and Galleries gets International

Tejshvi Jain, founding director of ReReeti, describes her experience at LMG during a visit to the UK.
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Heart of a Lion and the Hands of a Lady: Lord Moynihan of Leeds

Heart of a Lion and the Hands of a Lady: Lord Moynihan of Leeds

Discover the story of the famous Leeds surgeon, Lord Moynihan, who had 'the heart of a lion and the hands of a lady'. 
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Inspired by Nepal

Inspired by Nepal

Uncover the adventures of Curator Antonia Lovelace as she embarks on a field trip to Nepal, to add to our extensive World Cultures collection.
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Framing a Watercolour

Framing a Watercolour

Explore the different framing trends for watercolour paintings through the John Sell Cotman exhibition at Leeds Art Gallery.
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Skeletons: Coming Face to Face with the Past

Skeletons: Coming Face to Face with the Past

Conservator Emma pieces together the Dalton Parlours (AD 200 -370) skull on display in the Skeletons: Our Buried Bones exhibition.
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Elections Through our Collections

Elections Through our Collections

Explore how parliamentary elections in Leeds have changed over the last three centuries through our collections.
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How Do Museum Objects Impact Children with Special Needs and Disabilities?

How Do Museum Objects Impact Children with Special Needs and Disabilities?

Sarah Allen explores the impact of museum objects on children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
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Matchbox or Communist Propaganda?

Matchbox or Communist Propaganda?

Discover the propaganda secrets contained inside our matchbox collection, with Radka Tobolkova.
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Installing Skeletons: Our Buried Bones

Installing Skeletons: Our Buried Bones

Curator Ruth Martin answers the age old question: what does it take to change the temporary exhibition gallery from one show to another?
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Arthur Louis Aaron: A WW2 Hero From Leeds

Arthur Louis Aaron: A WW2 Hero From Leeds

Uncover the heroic story of Arthur Louis Aaron: an RAF pilot from Leeds who "set an example of devotion to duty which has seldom been equaled and never surpassed".
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Lighting up Leeds: The Story of George Bray & Co

Lighting up Leeds: The Story of George Bray & Co

Discover the history behind Leeds businessman George Bray, the 19th century gas lighting pioneer who changed the face of Britain.
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Monopoly: The Leeds Edition

Monopoly: The Leeds Edition

Explore the fascinating history of the nation's favourite board game with placement student Chelsea Knight.
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Lotus Flowers in Leeds

Lotus Flowers in Leeds

With the summer in full swing and flowers in full bloom, Libo Zhu explores the symbolism and histories behind the Chinese Lotus artefacts in our World Cultures collection.
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John Sell Cotman’s Watercolours: Kitson, Cotman and “Hicky”

John Sell Cotman’s Watercolours: Kitson, Cotman and “Hicky”

Volunteer Brian Richardson explores Leeds architect Sydney Kitson’s critical eye in assessing the watercolours of John Sell Cotman.
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Anonymous Women in the Collection

Anonymous Women in the Collection

Assistant Curator of Social History Nicola Pullan reflects on the many unamed women in the collection on #Stories day of #MuseumWeek. 
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4000 Miles, 400 Pictures, 1 Year and 1 Man With An Obsession

4000 Miles, 400 Pictures, 1 Year and 1 Man With An Obsession

Volunteer Linda Bower explores Sydney Kitson's obsession with collecting and documenting the work of artist John Sell Cotman.
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Dying Matters: Marking Burials

Dying Matters: Marking Burials

Curator of Archaeology Kat Baxter dishes the dirt on fascinating stone grave markers in the collection from burials in Leeds, going back thousands of years.
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Imagining Little Red Riding Hood

Imagining Little Red Riding Hood

Social History Curator Kitty Ross explores the tale of Little Red Riding Hood and it's many illustrations, in light of the Fairy Tales and Fantasy exhibition at Abbey House Museum.
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The ‘Cotmania’ Archive: From Leeds to the Web

The ‘Cotmania’ Archive: From Leeds to the Web

On John Sell Cotman's 235th birthday, volunteer Karen Mackie explores how Cotman's work was obsessively researched by Sydney Kitson, who meticulously recorded his findings in a collection of journals known as 'Cotmania'.
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A Springtime Walk: Exploring our Natural Environment

A Springtime Walk: Exploring our Natural Environment

Curator of Natural Sciences Rebecca Machin takes us on a walking tour to explore the delicate balance of springtime, in light of the "For All Seasons" exhibition at Leeds City Museum.
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Interview with artist Lothar Götz

Interview with artist Lothar Götz

With Leeds Art Gallery's crowdfunding campaign at full steam ahead, we sat down with the artist behind the campaign Lothar Götz to find out more about him, his work and his vision for the iconic Victorian Staircase.
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Fashionable Yorkshire: Rosetta Rowley’s Story

Fashionable Yorkshire: Rosetta Rowley’s Story

“Rosetta grew up in Bradford and lived through the Second World War and its aftermath. She was part of a working-class family. Her clothes are simple yet stylish"
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Working with the John Sell Cotman Collection: Shelter from the Storm

Working with the John Sell Cotman Collection: Shelter from the Storm

Resident artist Hondartza Fraga begins her 'Cotmania' blog series by exploring the collection and it's context, ahead of Leeds Art Gallery's reopening in Autumn.
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Fashionable Yorkshire: Preparing the Mannequins

Fashionable Yorkshire: Preparing the Mannequins

Ahead of its opening in 2 weeks, Costume and Textiles intern Kay Eggleston gives us a behind the scenes look at preparing for the Fashionable Yorkshire exhibition!
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Re-thinking John Sell Cotman

Re-thinking John Sell Cotman

Project Archivist Jane Speller explores'Re-thinking John Sell Cotman', the major project currently taking place at Leeds Art Gallery.
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Lord Darnley: On the 450th Anniversary of his Murder

Lord Darnley: On the 450th Anniversary of his Murder

Megan Jones explores the life of Lord Darnley – who was born at our very own Temple Newsam - on the 450th anniversary of his murder.
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Dying Matters: The Day of the Dead Festival

Dying Matters: The Day of the Dead Festival

World Cultures Curator Antonia Lovelace explores newly gifted Mexican Day of the Dead Festival items for the collection!
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‘Iris’ (1886) by John Atkinson Grimshaw

‘Iris’ (1886) by John Atkinson Grimshaw

Local historian Eveleigh Bradford explores one of Atkinson Grimshaw's most entrancing paintings
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Celebrating Australia Day through Leeds Museums objects

Celebrating Australia Day through Leeds Museums objects

In celebration of Australia Day, World Cultures Curator Antonia Lovelace explores Australian objects from the collection.
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Joash Woodrow – A Hidden Life in Pictures (Part 3)

Joash Woodrow – A Hidden Life in Pictures (Part 3)

Liz Kay's final instalment in her 3 part series about the life and work of artist Joash Woodrow looks at his later years in Leeds. In 1955 Woodrow returned to his family home, which would evolve into his unique artistic studio and retreat from the world, where familiar surroundings provided limitless fuel for his creativity.
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Conservation Volunteers at Leeds Discovery Centre

Conservation Volunteers at Leeds Discovery Centre

With the closing of one exhibition comes the opening of another, and our helpful team of dedicated Conservation volunteers have been keeping themselves extremely busy with caring for the objects involved in the changeover at Leeds City Museum. Conservator Emma Bowron tells us more about what exactly this entails.
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