Pictures In History

Montague House, Bloomsbury, 18th century, (1908). The house was purchased in 1754 as the first home of the British Museum and in 1757 the gardens were opened to the public, two years before visitors were admitted to the Museum's collections. The seventeen

The British Museum first opened its doors 270 years ago today, on January 15, 1753. It was the first national public museum in the world. The museum was housed from its inception in 1753 until 1823 at the Montague House, a mansion in Bloomsbury, London, England, The mansion was donated to the British government by Sir Hans Sloane, a noted physician and collector. In addition to the mansion, Sloane also bequeathed his collection of more than 71,000 objects to the people of England because he wanted to make the items available to the public to study and enjoy.

Sir Hans Sloane

Prior to this, the museums of the world were more like private collections. The owners may allow scientists or scholars to come in and view the items, but the collections were off-limits to the general public. Sir Hans Sloane wanted to change that. The Irish-born Sloane was a medical doctor, scientist, and naturalist. Over the course of his lifetime, he accumulated a vast collection of objects from around the world, including books, manuscripts, antiquities, artifacts, and natural specimens. Sloane was a fellow of the Royal Society of London and a member of numerous scientific societies and organizations. He was also involved in politics and served as the personal physician to Queen Anne.

Hans Sloane, English physician and naturalist. Sloane (1660-1753) founded the Chelsea Physic Garden. He was Secretary to the Royal Society from 1693-1713 and donated his library of 50,000 books and 3500 manuscripts to the British Museum. (Colorised black

The Montague House

Upon his death in 1753, Sloane’s son offered the diverse collection to the British government for the establishment of a public museum. That donation included the Montague House, which was built in the early 18th century. It was one of the largest and grandest homes in Bloomsbury. It was demolished in the early 19th century to make way for the construction of the current British Museum building.

A Storehouse of Human History

The British Museum is considered to be one of the first museums open to the public and it greatly influenced the development of the public museum concept around the world. Over the centuries, the museum has grown and expanded. It now occupies a large complex of buildings. The collection has also grown and now numbers more than eight million individual objects representing a wide range of history and culture, from ancient Egypt and Greece to the present day.

Visitors admire the ancient Egyptian Rosetta Stone in Room 4 of the British Museum, on 11th April 2018, in London, England. (Photo by Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images Images)

The Rosetta Stone, a Centerpiece of the British Museum

Some of the most important and well-known items at the British Museum include the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles, the Assyrian Lamassu, the Egyptian mummies, and the Lewis chessmen. The Rosetta Stone is particularly significant as it helped scholars learn to read hieroglyphics, the writing system of ancient Egypt. The Elgin Marbles are a group of classical Greek marble sculptures that were removed from the Parthenon temple in Athens. The Assyrian Lamassu is a large stone statue of a winged bull or lion with a human head. The Egyptian mummies are well-preserved remains of ancient Egyptians that were buried with a variety of funerary artifacts. The Lewis chessmen are an important collection of medieval chess pieces made of walrus ivory and whale teeth.

Controversy Regarding Colonial Acquisitions

The British Museum has been a major center of research and scholarship. It has played an important role in the study of human history and various cultures. Its reputation also comes with some controversy, particularly regarding its possession of artifacts from other cultures, many of which were obtained during the British colonial period. Curators at the British Museum continue to add to its collection but are also actively researching the current museum items and the circumstances in which these items were originally acquired. The goal is to educate the public about the history of the pieces in its collection, including the attitudes and mindsets of the archaeologists who first brought some of the pieces to England.

The British Museum, the First Public Museum

Sir Hans Sloane

The Montague House

A Storehouse of Human History

The Rosetta Stone, a Centerpiece of the British Museum

Controversy Regarding Colonial Acquisitions