Bethnal Green & South Kensington Museums

Most of the items listed in the catalogue of Pitt-Rivers' second collection held by Cambridge University Library which had been exhibited at Bethnal Green and South Kensington Museums were removed in the period 1882-1884. 12 objects listed in that catalogue are known to have been displayed at Bethnal Green Museum at some point between 1874 and 1878, 182 objects are known to have been displayed at South Kensington Museum for some time from 1878-1884. That is, before the bulk of the exhibits displayed at South Kensington Museum were relocated to the University of Oxford in 1884-6.

Bethnal Green Museum

Pitt-Rivers first loaned items to Bethnal Green Museum in 1874. This museum is now known as the Museum of Childhood. It was then a branch of the South Kensington Museum. In 1878, the museum authorities decided to transfer the displays to South Kensington Museum.

The items known to have been displayed in Bethnal Green Museum have been identified through primary sources held by the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford. The two principal sources are the so-called Green book ('day book' for South Kensington Museum) and the delivery catalogues.

South Kensington Museum

This museum is now known as the Victoria & Albert Museum. Loaned items from the Pitt-Rivers private collection were displayed at South Kensington between 1878 and 1884 when the transfer to the University of Oxford was agreed. The items known to have been displayed in South Kensington Museum were transferred back to Pitt-Rivers between 1882 and 1884. It is not known why Pitt-Rivers decided to withdraw these items from South Kensington Museum and keep them in his private collection, rather than transferring them to Oxford.

They have been identified through primary sources held by the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford. The two principal sources are the so-called Green book ('day book' for South Kensington Museum) and the delivery catalogues. Other sources are documentation made by SKM staff (the so-called Black, Red and Blue books). These sources have also been useful for backing up the data given in the CUL catalogue which often states that the object in the entry was 'removed from South Kensington Museum'.

Most of these items were later put on display at Farnham Museum, once that had been opened. The gold items which were withdrawn in 1884 were displayed at Rushmore with other gold artefacts.

AP, 2 June 2010