Charlie Brown's pub showing curiosities brought back by sailors

The National Maritime Museum is on Flickr with a number of sets, including Animals at Sea, photos of the London Port area, and several concerning museum operations (such as conservation and installation).

This collection is another great visual history resource.  I hope that they continue to add images to their collections because I know that they have a great archive of vintage images.

The Science Museum’s new history of medicine website has recently been completed. According to Dr Robert Bud, the Principal Curator of Medicine,

In all it now presents 4000 new images of artefacts from the collections linked to 16 specialised themes on medicine across time, written by staff and other professional historians of medicine. Each theme is associated with bibliographies and interactives suitable for teaching at several levels.

So far, in my limited browsing of it, the Brought to Life website looks like a great resource for students and historians.

Also, all of the images on the site are available for download and use according to the creative commons license – it is defined here.

"Photograph of Camel Corps two Sihks mounted in fighting order." Photograph taken by Felice Beato on the Nile Expedition to relieve Khartoum. 1884/5

The National Archives (formerly known as the Public Records Office) at Kew have joined Flickr.  They have added about 200 items in seven sets.  The images range from the photos of Felice Beato to Historic Documents to a handful of artifacts.

Sample Child's Ration Book. Throughout the 1940s (and for nine years after the end of the war) every man woman and child in Britain owned ration books of coupons for food and clothing. The Ministry of Food's carefully formulated diet is generally believed to have improved the nation's health.

Hopefully they will continue to post images from the Archives … from my work there during my doctoral research, they have a wonderful collection full of great stories and great images!

Coming to a bookstore near you soon!  Or, to pre-order, go to Amazon.

Science for the Nation is a unique look at the history of a great national institution as well as a study of the changing roles of museums and the perceived public role that a museum of science and technology plays within larger society. It illuminates the ways in which we think about the collecting and display of scientific objects, and explores the changing and often difficult relations between the state, business and industry, and museum funding. The essays also examine the Science Museum in the context of other national museums in London, and show the key differences affecting their chosen paths and individual development.

This is a great new volume … okay, I am partial because I helped to write it (see Chapter 3, entitled “The Science Museum and the Second World War”).  A perfect gift for anyone who is interested in the history of museums, especially during the 20th century.

The Smallest Car in the Largest City in the World (1913):

Queen Alexandra ordered a miniature Cadillac car for Crown Prince Olav (later King) of Norway and – never ones to miss an advertising opportunity – the manufacturers arranged the filming of the car’s departure from the factory, where it is waved out by an enthusiastic male crowd.

This mini marvel continues its jubilant journey through the streets of London – past the Bank of England, around Trafalgar Square and on to Hyde Park. As crowds cheer and leap in front of the camera, desperate to be preserved on film, the driver’s composure and deadpan facial expression remains one of the most entertaining aspects of this Edwardian glimpse of British pride.

The film ends with some charming footage of a tea party, in which three children run into trouble with the law for speeding!

Again, posted by the BFI. Jeremy drives the smallest car in the world at the BBC – Top Gear (2007):

Jeremy drives the Peel P-50 through central London and into the BBC offices. From Top Gear.

Visited this exhibition last week while in London but here are a few videos posted by the Museum on youTube …

More below fold … Read more »

Last weekend, Jill and I went down to London and visited the Tower of London to see the exhibit on Henry VIII.  Neither of us had been to the Tower before and it was a great place to spend part of a day (but without the 2 for 1 entrance, it would have been too expensive). Read more »

On Valentine’s Day, after visiting the Hotel Chocolat in Kensington and having a hot chocolate (okay, Jill had a coffee & chocolate drink), we were looking for some place to have lunch.  So, I had seen this place on one of my previous trips to the Science Museum, and we decided to stop at Le Pain Quotidien in South Kensington (tel – 020 7486 6154).

At heart, it is a bakery.  Their bread is a highlight of the meal … a basket is £5.20.  It comes with a range of spreads (both fruit and chocolate) and organic butter!  The basket and a bowl of porridge (£3.20) makes a great meal!  It was an ideal location for a Valentine’s brunch … and I would recommend it for anyone in the area looking for a place to dine.  If I am looking for a place to have a meal the next time that I am back at the Science Museum, I will stop in here.

They are located at 15-17 Exhibition Road in SW7 2HE (corner of Thurloe Place).  It is just a short walk from the South Kensington Tube stop and only a block or two from the V&A.

(We also got the great pink, heart-shaped meringues that we had on the train back from London on Valentine’s here.)

For our five-year anniversary, Jill and I went to London for the night … here are a few photos of the trip:

Friday, 13 Feb:

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