Hidden Histories: Discovering Disability in the Norwich Museums
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010What do museum artifacts tell us about the experience of living with a disability in the past? Ruth Burwood, Senior Access Curator from the Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service decided to find out and uncovered a wealth of hidden stories.
For some time museum staff in Norwich had been aware that the displays in museums often only represent a particular version or experience of the past, and therefore exclude some of the community. Our own Disability Access Advisory Group had told us that they did not see themselves in the displays, and felt that the stories of disabled people in the past were missing from our museums.
To address this we decided to find out what relevant objects existed in our collections. Why had they become hidden? We wanted to ensure that in future, anyone could discover these objects and the stories they told. With approximately 1.5 million objects and specimens in our store, we were excited about what we might find…
Missing treasure
Working with the Access Advisory Group, we developed a list of key search terms and questions that we wanted answered. We trawled through our computerised museum catalogue and interviewed curators in order to build a list of relevant objects. The results were both fascinating and surprising.
We discovered that there are many reasons why a museum object might become hidden – sometimes it was simply that mistakes had been made in how an object was recorded in the catalogue. But on other occasions curators in the past had been so sensitive about how to describe objects associated with disability, that the true meaning had become lost.
The actual objects that we discovered were varied and ranged from clothing to water colour paintings. We looked at collectors and artists as well as aids and equipment as we discovered the personal stories of disabled people in the past.
Some of most interesting finds were in the Decorative Art and Textile collections. A remarkable embroidered letter by a lady called Lorina Bulwer (pictured here) gives a unique insight into the experience of living with a mental health problem in the last century. Hand stitched in upper case letters, Lorina Bulwer has angrily stitched her thoughts, memories and testimony into the 15 foot by 1 foot length of fabric. What makes it especially remarkable is that Lorina stitched it in 1901 whilst resident in the female lunatic ward of Great Yarmouth workhouse.
The Toby teapot (pictured above), which is in the form of a man whose wooden leg forms the spout, provoked a mixed response. Considered pretty unsightly by some, this teapot was a favourite amongst others working on the project.
Through other objects we were able to make new connections between events, buildings and people. From a Braille pocket watch that we linked for the first time to other artifacts, we were able to piece together a glimpse of the life of a John Abbs, who was blinded in the First World War. John was given the watch by St Dunstan’s and traded as a boot repairer and mat maker. Interestingly he stated on his business card that he was blind.
Moving forward
It was very important to us that the research was used to improve the way that museums deal with objects associated with disability, and there have been many positive outcomes of the project, including an oral history project and school workshops. Museum staff continue to work on improving the catalogue descriptions for objects and updating the online exhibition of objects.
Perhaps the most significant achievement however, was to remove some of these objects from stores and to put them on display through a special Hidden Histories trail in Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery. Since then, more of these fascinating objects have been displayed at Norwich Castle – some as permanent fixtures and others in temporary exhibitions, bringing into view the experience of people with disabilities.
To download a copy of the full project report, or to view the on-line exhibition, go to www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk. To request a copy of the report in large print, Braille or Audio CD please contact Ruth Burwood on 01603 493640 or email ruth.burwood@norfolk.gov.uk.
This article first appeared in the July 2009 issue of Mobilise magazine, which goes out to all our members and includes reviews of adapted cars and mobility equipment, features on accessible travel and leisure, campaign updates, news, competitions and real-life stories.
Membership of our charity costs just £16 per year and includes your monthly subscription to Mobilise.
Tags: history