an infinity of things how sir henry wellcome collected the world dec 2009

[...]... gifting, and getting rid of Wellcome s artefacts, the residual hub of the collection—a not insigniWcant hoard of 100,000 objects relating to the history of medicine—was transferred to the Science Museum in London on permanent loan Some of it can be seen there today, by people who take the time to ascend to the top two Xoors of the building These galleries, and the Wellcome Library on Euston Road, where the. .. Museum staV; the fourth part looks at the fate of the collection in the Wnal years of Wellcome s life, and beyond, and reXects on the broader implications of this man’s great, and little known, material legacy I focus on the period up to Wellcome s death, in 1936 After this, the story splinters, to be taken up again by the Wellcome Library and the other institutions that absorbed portions of Wellcome s... out the competition, court potential clients, and generally keep abreast of the market, and they invariably produced a good show, as each exhibitor tried to outdo his neighbours In the early 1880s, the newly formed partnership of Burroughs Wellcome and Company joined the ranks of established pharmaceuticals Wrms—among them, Allen and Hanburys, Beecham, Duncan Flockhart, and Thomas Morson and Son—on the. .. of the ‘improved uniform moulded screw neck and metal cap’ and the new air- and damp-proof disc inside.27 Clients, whether they were doctors or explorers or members of the public, had to trust in the Burroughs Wellcome brand The second most important company attribute for Wellcome, after quality, was style As far as the medicine cases were concerned, this meant that they had to be available in a range... sizes of weights and measures also Wnd out and make a record of the signiWcance of the signs or symbols, it would add materially to the interest of the collection.36 So it was that Wellcome s collecting impulses shaped many of the Wrm’s advertising ventures, and his business projects shaped his early collection Points of language, style, colour, and layout were constantly batted back and forth between Wellcome. .. live out our lives All the stories that follow have their origin in objects: in a man’s insatiable desire for things, and in the wealth of knowledge and the prestige that those things promised to impart Objects hold together all the characters in this book Wellcome s social world was stitched together by objects, and objects seemed to render his world more manageable and meaningful They were something... Wnally an assortment of them has been completed, which we will send you We have not yet been able to get anything satisfactory in the way of Medicine Chests but we will have it in hand.’19 Wellcome was determined to produce a range of containers that were portable, robust, and elegant The choice of materials and the structure of the Wttings were crucial And his eVorts were soon rewarded One of the Wrst... Collections Thank you to Ken Arnold, Jude Hill, Ross MacFarlane, Alison Petch, and William Schupbach for reading the manuscript, or parts of it, and giving their judicious advice The Wellcome Trust has provided the illustrations for this book and has met the costs of the colour plate section, for which I am very grateful Anna Smith, at Wellcome Images, helped to organize the illustrations The Wellcome Library... a few months after the Great Fire of 1872.3 He continued to collect during the 1880s and 1890s, acquiring, amongst other things, handmade birch bark canoes, paddles, and wigwams from Canada, and a bas relief by the American sculptor Francis Elwell, as well as Indian rugs, Chinese prints, and naval memorabilia.4 Besides rarities like these, much of Wellcome s collection consisted of old medical paraphernalia... display of Wery power for the Burroughs Wellcome Beef and Iron Wine advertisements; while the Wrm’s ‘Kepler’ brand cod liver oil and malt products were promoted in a series of advertisements inspired by the ancient history of Greece Historical accuracy became another sticking point during the design process One group of advertisements drew on the Chaldean mythologies of ancient Sumer, Akkad, Assyria, and .