Are You CURIOUS To Find Out More? part 2

The Tradescant Collection
It is perhaps the best known Cabinet of Curiosity that originally belonged to John Tradescant the Elder (c.1570-1638) and his son, John Tradescant the Younger (1608-1662). Both men had been gardeners to several aristocratic families such as Charles I and George Villiers, first Duke of Buckingham. Their positions granted them several opportunities for traveling to the Americas, the Mediterranean, and to the East where they were in search of new botanicals with which to enhance the gardens of their patrons. During their travels, they found items for their employer's gardens, as well as, discovering and collecting items for themselves. In 1626, both men moved outside of London to a town called South Lambeth. Here, they made their home and it became known as "Tradescant's Ark" because it was filled with their renowned Collection of Rarities and it also was surrounded by exquisite gardens. Some of the items that were apart of their collection included a small piece of the wood from the cross of Christ, a dodo bird, the hand of a mermaid, Turkish shoes, and a book containing hand written Jewish text. Tradescant the Younger issued Musauem Tradescantium which was a catalogue of the collection. It was a record of the contents of both "The Ark" and the gardens, and it also described the method that was used in organizing the collection. These two men were the first to acknowledge the value of their collection to the general public by allowing them admittance. Entrance to the collection was not determined by status or by gender, but by the payment of a fee. By deed of a gift, the collection was given to Elias Ashmole who later donated it to the University of Oxford, where it can now be viewed in the Ashmole Museum.

Modern Cabinets of Curiosity
-Many individuals and organizations have taken the traditional idea of the Cabinet of Curiosity and have refreshed it in such a way that it may be of relevance in today's society.

-Two dynamic examples of a new approach to the use of a Cabinet of Curiosity are:

1. A project that was started at Middle Street Primary School entitled "Cabinets and Pods."
-The activity was created by a teacher named Dave Dyer who wanted to develop an exciting blend of real and virtual

projects that would capture children's imagination and also

help to stimulate a wide range of creative approaches to all

aspects of the curriculum.

-To learn more about this exciting project and to view some

virtual cabinets that were created by students go to:

http://www.middlestreet.org/cabinet/index.htm

2. An exhibit that took place in 2002 at the New York Public

Library that was entitled: "The Public's Treasures: A Cabinet

of Curiosities from the New York Public Library."
-The library turned one of their rooms into a Cabinet of

Curiosity in which they displayed items from every section

of the Humanities and Social Sciences Library.
-They used the model of a Cabinet of Curiosity in the hopes

that it would edify, delight, and possibly surprise its viewers.
-Check out the press release to find out more information

on what was exhibited.

If You Are Still CURIOUS and Would Like to Learn More--Check Out the Following...

Alexander, Edward P. Museums In Motion: An Introduction

to the History and Functions of Museums. Walnut Creek,

CA: Alta Mira Press, 1996.

Bell, Whitfield J. A Cabinet of Curiosities: Five Episodes in

the Evolution of American Museums. Charlottesville,

VA: University Press of Virginia, 1967.

Dilevko, Juris, and Lisa Gottlieb. The Evolution of Library

and Museum Partnerships: Historical Antecedents,

Contemporary Manifestations, and Furture Directions.

Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2004.

Dilworth, Leah. Acts of Possession: Collecting in America.

New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2003.

Impey, Oliver, and Arthur MacGregor. The Origins of

Museums: The Cabinet of Curiosities in Sixteenth and

Seventeenth Century Europe. Oxford: Claredon Press, 1985.

Purcell, R. "A Room Revisited." Natural History 113 (2004): 46-48.