Community Museums

Identification | Identificación | Identificação

Photo | Fotografía | Fotografia | Photographie

Image credits | Créditos de imagen | Crédits photo| Créditos de imagem

Barbados Museum and Historical Society

Museum name | Nombre del museo | Nome do museu | Nom du musée

Barbados Museum and Historical Society

Short description | Descripción breve | Descrição resumida | Description brève

The Barbados Museum and Historical Society is a non-profit organization established in 1933. Its origins are as a community museum, forming through the civic care of the natural history collection of a St. Lucy rector and the efforts of antiquarian and genealogist Eustace Shilstone to provide public access to the island’s history. The mandate of the museum is to collect, document and conserve evidence of Barbados’ cultural, historical and environmental heritage; and to interpret and present this evidence for all sectors of society. In addition to the seven permanent collection galleries, the museum currently integrates community interest in its exhibition programming and project development. It is one of the protected buildings in the UNESCO World Heritage site Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison.

Community | Comunidad | Comunidade | Communauté

Barbados, Diaspora, Caribbean, International

Main identity icons | Principales iconos de identidad | Iconografia mais relevante | Objets les plus représentatifs

African Archaeology Art Audiovisual Ceramics Decorative Arts Ethnography Furniture Library Maps Numismatic Photographs Silver Slavery Social History

Target Audience | Público-objetivo | Público alvo | Public cible

Barbados nationals, visitors

Year of foundation | Año de fundación | Ano de fundação | Année de création

1933

Curator | Conservador | Comissário | Conservateur

Director - Alissandra Cummins

Public opening date | Fecha de Apertura | Data de abertura | Date d'ouverture

Entity Name | Nombre de la entidad | Nome da entidade

Panorama

More information | Más información | Mais informação

Origin history | Origen Histórico | Origem história | Origine historique

The Barbados Museum & Historical Society was established in 1933 by an Act of Parliament. The Museum began as a historic society founded by Mr. Eustace Maxwell Shilstone. At that time, the mandate of the historic society was to “to study and put on permanent record the history of the Island, its leading families and public men, old buildings and other matters of interest to antiquarians in Barbados and overseas”.

By June 23 of that year, a temporary exhibition was opened by the Acting Governor at Queen's Park House. Three months later the Society secured the 99 year lease of the former military prison, which became the permanent home of the Barbados Museum and Historical Society.

Documentation | Documentación | Documentação | Documentation

Video | Vídeo | Vidéo

Access type | Tipo de acceso | Tipo de acesso | Conditions d'accès

Barbadian Nationals - Free Entrance; Visitors - Paid Entrance

Activities and services | Actividades y servicios | Actividades e serviços | Activités et services

Permanent collection care & Acquisitions; temporary exhibitions; co-curated exhibitions with Jewish and East Indian communities; maintenance of offsite collections; professional heritage consultation; Junior Curator's programme; Heritage Champions programme; Annual Journal; Genealogy Group; History Group; digitization projects; Local offsite community projects; International strategic partnership projects; Special events; museum gift shop; Shilstone Memorial Library

Main collection | Colección principal | Colecção principal

Named Collection | Denominación de la colección | Denominação | Dénomination de la collection

Photo | Fotografía | Fotografia | Photographie

Image credits | Creditos de imagen | Créditos de imagem | Crédits photo

Barbados Museum and Historical Society

Type | Tipo | Tipo | Type

Fine Art

Short description | Resumen | Resumo | Description brève

This gallery features a wide collection of 17th to 19th century art and craft, including paintings by Agostino Brunias donated by Sir Peter Moores, and a major collection of West Indian prints donated by the late Sir Edward Cunard and Victorian shell craft donated by Eileen Maremont, along with mahogany furniture for which the island is famed.

Some of the finest West Indian prints are those by military artists Lieut. J. H. Caddy whose depictions of coastal and interior landscape scenes of St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Dominica and St. Kitts are skilfully executed in a picturesque series of coloured aquatints; and Lieut. J. M. Carters’ series of ten lithographs which deal exclusively with Barbadian landscape typically of buildings, landscapes and street scenes mainly in and around the Garrison area.

Catalog | Catálogo | Catálogo | Catalogue