Pitt Rivers Museum, University museum in Parks Road, Oxford, England
The Pitt Rivers Museum is a university museum in Parks Road, Oxford, housing over half a million objects from archaeological and ethnographic collections. The large hall extends over three levels, with two galleries overlooking the main floor and every surface filled with densely arranged display cases.
Augustus Pitt Rivers donated his collection of 22,000 objects to Oxford University in 1884, establishing England's first lectureship in anthropology. The building was constructed shortly after in the rear section of the Natural History Museum to accommodate his growing collection.
In densely packed display cases, objects such as musical instruments, tools and household items show how people around the world solved similar problems in different ways. This typological arrangement lets visitors discover unexpected parallels between cultures that are geographically far apart.
Visitors enter through the main entrance of the Natural History Museum and walk through its central hall before reaching the rear passage to the Pitt Rivers. The lighting is kept low to protect delicate materials, so eyes need a few minutes to adjust.
Many display cases contain handwritten labels from the 19th century that are still readable and sometimes include surprisingly personal comments from the original collectors. One case devoted to keys displays over 1,000 examples from every continent, from medieval iron locks to tiny Japanese padlocks.
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