Captain Cook, one of the most famous British explorers. Read about him and see some of the items he collected in Explorers
The People |
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Captain Cook, one of the most famous British explorers. Read about him and see some of the items he collected in Explorers |
Almost all the objects on show in the World Cultures galleries at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter were brought back as gifts or souvenirs or, in a few examples, as loot or the trophies of battle. The people who brought objects back from other parts of the world travelled for a variety of reasons:
some, like those who voyaged with Bligh or Vancouver, were Devon explorers or seamen. Others were collectors of artefacts in this country who acquired items from dealers or from people they knew who had travelled widely.
some spent many years working as churchmen such as Henry Townsend or public servants like Major-General George Elliott who lived in Heavitree. Still others were researchers working abroad.
others served as soldiers or traders, like Richard Dennett. A few, such as those employed by the Exeter firm of Veitch & Sons, did travel in order to find and bring back specimens, but they were plants for cultivation in Britain.
None of these people travelled specifically to make a collection with the intention
of helping those in this country know more about ways of life in other countries.
Remember, when you find an object you like, click on it and follow the instructions
to add it to your own collection.