In 2028, the Fitzwilliam Museum will mark the centenary of the largest private ceramic collection ever to enter a UK museum—3,443 pieces bequeathed by Dr J. W. L. Glaisher—yet most of these objects have never been seriously studied. This project addresses a gap in knowledge about how and why Glaisher assembled his collection, using his 41 unpublished notebooks to trace his acquisition networks across the East of England, the UK, and internationally. It examines his biases around race, national identity, class, and gender, and recovers the hidden roles of people involved—such as Frances Dickson, who first curated the collection in the 1930s, a rare professional opportunity for a woman at the time. The research also uses participatory methods to ask what this collection means to different communities today. If successful, the work could reshape how museums present colonial-era collections, moving beyond simple display to acknowledge the power dynamics and erased histories embedded in them. This is primarily fundamental historical and museological research. It will not change manufacturing or infrastructure, but it could alter how cultural institutions handle inherited collections, influencing future exhibition design and public engagement strategies at the Fitzwilliam and partner museums.
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In 2028, the Fitzwilliam will celebrate the centenary of the largest private ceramic collection to enter a museum-3,443 pieces bequeathed by Dr Glaisher, which have long been a mainstay of visitor experience but remain severely under-researched. This object- and archive-based studentship uses historical sources to interrogate the formation of Glaisher’s collection, expanding outwards to explore his methods and biases in relation to race, national identity, class and gender, and to re-centre the hidden histories of those involved, alongside participatory practice methodologies to consider what his collection means today. This project aligns with the museum’s vision, ‘opening up the past to transform our futures’, and will unlock new pathways for future re-presentation as part of the Masterplan. This project uses the Fitzwilliam’s archive of Glaisher’s unpublished 41 notebooks, detailing precise acquisition details, to investigate his motivations and mechanisms of collecting, through local (East of England), national and international networks. Its objective is to discover Glaisher’s attitudes towards regional and national identity via material culture, especially in relation to colonial power dynamics, tracing the evolution of Glaisher’s ‘private’ collection to its ‘public’ role, at the Fitzwilliam and other CC-EE partner institutions. It considers key agents involved in this transition including Frances Dickson, who first curated the collection, a rare opportunity for a woman in the 1930s. It fits within the CC-EE CDP framework of Society & Identity and poses questions about what it means to collect from different places and peoples, and investigates the significance of Glaisher’s collection, both then and now
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