From Our Collections

How accurately can we imagine the future? These past prognostications suggest that we cannot escape the pull of our own time and its biases.

In the plague-ravaged London of 1665, could perfume really save your life?

Scientists, artists, and philosophers have long studied our anatomy to try to discover what it means to be human.

An uncanny resemblance to today’s Twitter tiffs characterises a 17th-century argument about demons. Read what happened when the printing presses went into overdrive.

From the elixir of life to radium, humans have always searched for a panacea: something to cure every ill. But instead it’s only highlighted our anxieties and preoccupations throughout history.

Death is many things to many cultures: violent, holy, frightening, calm, disgusting... or just a gateway to another life.

In pre-internet days, phone boxes became a patchwork of ‘tart cards’ offering sexual services. Find out about the clandestine world they hint at.

Focusing on three 19th-century women’s case notes, Millie van der Byl Williams explores how our definition of dementia has changed.

There’s something unexpectedly flirtatious and flamboyant about the smart young people featured in these French postcards.

In the second part of Native Americans through the 19th-century lens, we delve deeper into the ambivalent messages within the images.

The stories behind Rinehart's photographs may not be as black and white as they first appear.

Artist Beth Hopkins explains how she used her experience of researching the Adamson Collection to create an embroidered wall hanging.

An 11th-century poem of love, lust and possibly gruesome death still resonates today.

Odd diets aren’t just for January. Here are some examples that go back way further than New Year’s Day.

How the 1950s British film industry portrayed this disease.

From an erotic hanky to a tree of life, there are some curious examples of information design in our collection.

From safe-use guides to needle exchange schemes, Harry Shapiro reflects on 40 years of drug harm reduction in the UK.

Whose responsibility is it to prevent accidental burns and scalds in the home? Shane Ewen’s research shows that it’s everyone’s concern.

The AIDS public health poster campaign chose print even in the internet age and dealt with issues of identity and behaviour like never before.

Go behind the scenes with the co-curator of the Reading Room to see how she CT scanned a mummy from our collections.

The first public museums evolved from wealthy collectors’ cabinets of curiosities and were quickly recognised as useful vehicles for culture.