Saige (left) and Grace (right) in front of the British Museum
By Saige Lind and Grace Hitt
Our first visit to the British Museum was for a required class assignment. Little did we know, this visit would spark an epic quest that would span the rest of our time in London. We made it our goal to see all of the free exhibits before the end of May Term. And as of today at 4:56, 12 visits and probably over 24 hours of museum time later, we officially achieved our goal!
We learned so much from our endeavors. Getting to see nearly everything in this museum while also visiting other museums like the Victoria & Albert, the Wallace Collection, and the Sir John Soane’s Museum meant we began to recognize different styles and techniques. For example, we saw more maiolica glazed ceramics than we ever needed to see in our lifetimes. We also found some unique items that we would never have stumbled upon otherwise, like tiles with scenes from an apocryphal gospel about Jesus’s childhood.
We also explored the provenance of the items in the British museum through their informational plaques, something that Saige pursued for her final project. We knew about the controversy surrounding the Elgin Marbles and wrestled with difficult questions of property rights and restorative justice.
Every day we visited the museum, the tantalizing smell of roasted nuts wafted through the air. To celebrate our achievements, we decided to give in and purchase some. We think they smelled better than they tasted, but this was a satisfying way to celebrate this accomplishment!
