Museums and the First World War : A Social History

by Kavanagh, Gaynor

• ISBN13: 9780718517137
• ISBN10: 071851713X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1994-05-01
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Academic

Summary

This volume is concerned with how, during four demanding, dislocating and world-changing years, the museum, that most Victorian of institutions, was forced to meet the extraordinary test of war on the home front.
Museums were no more immune from the pressures of war than any other institution. Their history reflects the broader history of the home front and the efforts made to do the right thing at the right time. The changes they experienced, some long term, others transitory, do much to explain the nature and character of museums in Britain today.
The author covers the progress of museums from just before the advent of war to the immediate post-war period, and considers this in relation to changing social attitudes and economic conditions.

Author Biography

Gaynor Kavanagh is a lecturer in the Department of Museum Studies at the University of Leicester.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
List of Tables
Introduction	p. 1
Museums and Pre-War Britain	p. 8
Museums and Collections at Risk	p. 22
Closures and Take-Overs	p. 36
Due Share and Defence of the Realm	p. 52
Role and Purpose Through Exhibitions	p. 65
Educational Uses of Museums	p. 82
Making Do	p. 91
Local War Museums	p. 103
Proposals for a National War Museum	p. 117
Establishment of the National War Museum	p. 126
The Imperial War Museum	p. 137
Memories, Memorials and Mementoes	p. 152
The Inter-War Years	p. 160
Museums and the First World War	p. 168
Museums and War	p. 176
Postscript	p. 180
Chapter Notes	p. 181
Bibliography	p. 190
Index	p. 194
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.