05 Sep 2017
Husband, father, son - lost in the Arctic
We know a lot about Sir John Franklin. By the time he led the expedition to the Arctic in 1845, he was a household name, a naval hero and one of the Navy's leading magnetic scientists. But what of the other 128 men who died on this fatal expedition? What do we know about them? Jeremy Michell investigates the life of the ship's cook, John Diggle.
16 Aug 2017
Dying on their own terms: suicides aboard slave ships
On International Slavery Remembrance Day, our curator, Aaron Jaffer, remembers those forced to take their own lives during the horrific Middle Passage
19 Jun 2017
Conserving the Gibson Glass Plate Negatives
Conservator Lauren Ashley-Irvine tells us about her work on this important collection.
26 May 2017
Burial at sea
What exactly happened in the past when someone died during a voyage and was buried at sea?
14 Mar 2017
Pouting lips and mercury pastes – conforming to 18th-century ideals of beauty
As a young woman Emma Hamilton was one of the era's most celebrated beauties, enchanting aristocrats and artists alike. But how did other women fare in this age of pressure to conform to ideals of feminine beauty. Historian Emily Brand investigates.
19 Jan 2017
The legend of Tam O’Shanter
There are many unique and memorable things about clipper ship Cutty Sark. Her name is just one.
16 Jan 2017
The Age of the Silhouette
Charles Burns, an artist who specialises in silhouettes, shares the history of this fascinating art form.