British Empire & Commonwealth (1029.TET)

Two French francs, 1949 and 1950.

British Empire & Commonwealth (1030.TET)

Three Danish coins (1928, 1936, 1944).

British Empire & Commonwealth (1031.TET)

Four coins from Mozambique, Escudo 1935, 1938, 1945.

British Empire & Commonwealth (1993/068/040), Vumba Mountains

Vumba Mountain View of mountains, dark colours with red in foreground, blue mountains in background. Oil or acrylic on canvas. Dymo label on frame, 'Vumba Mountain First Prize, 1958.'

British Empire & Commonwealth (2008/014/200)

Henley t-shirt. White cotton with red trim on sleeve and neck. Printed on the left breast is 'R.L.I' for (Rhodesia Light Infantry) with cheetah design.

British Empire & Commonwealth (1996/004/006)

Sword - a label reads ‘Yataghan style sword in white metal, hilt and scabbard, with decorative moulding, iron or steel blade, stamped ‘1821’. Ceremonial as blade is v blunt. Chain for suspension.

British Empire & Commonwealth (2007/038/002)

Doll said to have been made in 1780s or 1790s by a former enslaved woman for her ex-mistress. Wearing period dress with a floral pattern in pink with a green background on the skirt and a white top. Also wearing a patterned head tie made from Madras cotton. The body is made in leather, stuffed with horsehair, cut and sewn to the shape of the human body. The head is moulded with a nose and mouth, with human hair (said to be from the woman who made the doll), maybe on a netted wig as /001, but the head tie cannot be removed to check. Eyes of painted cloth are set in holes cut in the head. The head is set into the neck of the body: only /001 is stitched in place. She wears a fine cotton underskirt, with a blue flowered chintz skirt or petticoat, fine cotton blouse and shawl, embroidered with MM, with tiny pockets embroidered MM tied around the waist. She has necklaces of small carnelian and garnet beads. Said to have been made for Maria Michell, wife of an attorney in Grenada and Barbados (actually Maria Ahmuty, nee Anderson). She freed at least one enslaved woman, and it is said to be the custom for a freed slave to make a doll for her former mistress. Maria stayed in contact with her freed slave: a letter suggests frequent contact, including the sending of goods ordered and paid for by the freed woman, Rebecca Snagg, for sale in Grenada. Rebecca Snagg owned slaves herself, but sold them when she was in financial difficulties.

British Empire & Commonwealth (T/ZIMB/72)

Bracelet, facetted copper beads and wire, a label reads 'ET 1456 Manilaland'.

British Empire & Commonwealth (T/ZIMB/94)

Winnowing tray, woven straw, bicoloured, geometric pattern, string loop

British Empire & Commonwealth (T/ZIMB/95)

Winnowing tray, woven straw, bicoloured, V patterns, string loop

British Empire & Commonwealth (T/ZIMB/96)

Winnowing tray, woven straw, purple and green diamond pattern, straw loop

British Empire & Commonwealth (1998/093/006)

Pair of dress epaulettes for Lieutenant Commander. Leather and wood base with gold braid on the top, wide coil of gold braid around the shoulder area. A row of tassel twisted gold metal hanging from the shoulder. On top there’s a brass button linked to a hook on the other side, a raised crown in red and silver, an anchor and chain in silver. On the back, there’s padding on the shoulder area and a large hinged clip.

British Empire & Commonwealth (1998/093/007)

Navel bicorn hat from Lieutenant Commander Goodenough. Black bicorn hat in beaver or bear fur with the brim edged with a black brocade tape and folded up at the sides to form the bicorn shape. At each end there is a gold knot and wire tassels and two rows of the twisted wire tassel on one side of the hat. Wide leather sweatband and a silk lining which is stamped ‘Gieves Ltd. 21 Old Bond St London, and at 118 St Edinburgh. Branches, Portsmouth, Devonport, Weymouth, Dover, Chatham, Sheerness, Harwich. By Special Appointment to His Majesty the King'.

British Empire & Commonwealth (0846.TET)

Sailor’s navy wool jumper, well darned.

British Empire & Commonwealth (2024/004/001)

'Copy of book ‘Sepik Diary’ by Australian artist Frank Hodgkinson (1919-2001). Published by Reid Books in 1984. Book is signed by the artist and includes a limited edition etching of a bat. The book records the artist’s 500-mile journey by dug-out canoe along the Sepik River of Papua New Guinea and captures the life and art of the people living along the river.

British Empire & Commonwealth (T/GAMB/085)

Indigo dyed cloth, hand-woven narrow strip, 120mm wide, hand sewn together into large wrapper. Heavy cotton with black stripe, dyed in indigo. One side is dark blue with a darker stripe, other side is pale blue with black stripe. Paper label 'From the Colonial and Indian Collections of the Imperial Institute, London, SW7'. Old card label 'Gambia 1 Joloff self-dyed pagne Upper Badiban Riv. Gambia 292'. Cloth label 'Gambia Joloff pagn Self-dyed Upper Badiba 292'

British Empire & Commonwealth (0854.TET)

Powdered mineral sample. A label reads - ‘In a cabinet with T/GHAN/63 and T/GUYA/53’. Hazardous? Unknown chemical.

British Empire & Commonwealth (L/ZIMB/218)

A piece of material with a printed design including a circular black and white portrait of Robert Mugabe above another circular design of a chicken with the words 'GORE RAMASIMBA AVANHU 1980', a slogan meaning 'Year of the Peoples' Power'. The circular designs are surrounded by deep patterned borders in red, green and brown on a yellow background with a similar patterned border at top and bottom.

British Empire & Commonwealth (2003/011/006)

This is a man’s tunic from Nigeria. The tunic is part of a set, where tunics are worn under wide-sleeved gowns and with trousers. They are made in matching sets; however, these sets can be mismatched and sometimes men may choose to wear just the gown and trouser, or just the tunic and trousers. In some case the sets only consist of the tunic and trousers, or the gown and trousers. This tunic combines elements of a tunic and gown due to the flare in the skirt, thus it would likely be worn without a gown over it. It is made of blue, indigo and white stripped fabric and is manufactured through the traditional narrow strip method, with strips of 95mm hand sewn together. There is white swirling embroidery around the collar and lining on the hem of the gown but nowhere else. These swirling patterns seem to be a more modern take on the traditional dagi (knot) which is often found on kwakwata gowns.

British Empire & Commonwealth (T/SIER/126)

T-shaped garment (shirt?) made of brown cotton fabric. The fabric has been coloured with darker brown and stamped with rectangular blocks of geometric patterns in black. Printed after sewing. Mud dyed. Neckline is off centre and slopes to the left as worn. The straight sleeves have open underarm seams. At the lower edge of the neck is an irregular shaped four sided patch, open at the upper edge to form a pocket. The garment sides have narrow triangular panels inset. The inside of the garment is roughly made with fraying seams.

British Empire & Commonwealth (T/SIER/140)

Poncho styled cape made of cotton damask tie-dyed fabric. Circular in shape with a round neck, decorated with a cream chain stitch embroidered design. The outer edge is similarly decorated and a broad band of embroidery extends as a panel down the front. On the inside are four navy bias binding ties. The embroidery has cotton facings.

British Empire & Commonwealth (T/SIER/30)

Man’s shirt, made with white brocade woven fabric, tie dyed in green and brown in a grid pattern, front opening with a round neck, front openings. Neck line, sleeve cuffs and pocket tops all machine embroidered with a cream artificial silk in spiral patterns. The front, collar and neckline faced with plain fabric. Popper fastening at the front, short sleeves, two patch pockets.

British Empire & Commonwealth (T/SIER/6)

Length of yellow fabric which has been tie dyed in orange and green. Tied from the centre giving concentric circles of yellow star bursts with random tied patterns inbetween the circles.

British Empire & Commonwealth (2010/165/012)

Collection of receipts and bills headings for decorative items for clothes, handcrafted trimmings and motifs made by the girls at the London Mission Lace & Embroidery Industry, Nagercoil, Travancore, India in the 1940's, ordered by donor's mother.

British Empire & Commonwealth (0734.TET)

Rattle, seed pod strung on two cords to make a long musical instrument. Zimbabwe. Written on one pod ‘Leg shaker (Magavu) Zimbabwe’.

British Empire & Commonwealth (2000/084/711)

Wooden drummer figure. Man wearing loincloth, playing large drum held between his knees. Number 10 on base. Collector's notes: ACAW did not mark them, probably from Mtwara, S Tanganyika, 1940, as others [2000/084/707-9].

British Empire & Commonwealth (2000/084/712)

Wooden drummer figure. Man wearing a loincloth playing a large drum held between his knees. Collector's notes: ACAW did not mark them, probably from Mtwara, S Tanganyika, 1940, as others [2000/084/707-9].

British Empire & Commonwealth (2000/084/710)

Wooden figure. Man, squatting, holding a cup on his knees. Facial scarification. Feet broken off. Collector's note: unknown, ACAW did not mark them, probably the same origin as above [2000/084/707-9] and therefore from Mtwara, Tanzania, 1940, Number 11 on base .

British Empire & Commonwealth (2000/084/707)

Wooden bust, man's head with pattern of facial scarification. Ebony wood. Collector's note: Roughcut figures from folktales in Ebony, bought in 1940 in Mtwara, Tanzania.

British Empire & Commonwealth (2000/084/716)

Wooden bust, large, of a man with beard and small topknot of hair, with facial scarification. Paper label stuck to base; 'One of a "series" of social figures from folk tales - "the Wise Elder". Carved out of ebony. Mtwara bought 1940 in S. Tanganyika'.

British Empire & Commonwealth (2000/084/714)

Wooden bust. Man with a sideparting in hair and scarification on cheeks. Collector's label on base: 'The Deferential Villager'. Folk tale. Carved in Ebony. Bought 1940 Mtwara S. Tanganyika'

British Empire & Commonwealth (T/HONG/210)

Dragon dance costume, papier mache head, painted, yellow and red satin with embroidery

British Empire & Commonwealth (2002/147/025.1)

Badge French flag, blue mushroom cloud, tiny pacific atoll with 3 palm trees and written ‘French Stop Testing’.

British Empire & Commonwealth (2002/147/028)

Brooch badge, enamelled circular badge, gold and radiation sign on a red background with a black hand in front of it. Pacific anti-nuclear movement.

British Empire & Commonwealth (2002/147/033)

Women’s Rights badge. Purple with a printed white raised fist in the female symbol.

British Empire & Commonwealth (2004/010/033)

Made from wood and rubber for use on ink pad to read HARTLAND LTD. Part of Trevor B Caryll archive. Coley estate, Jamaica. early 20th century.letters and other correspondence, plus accounts, agreements, bills, receipts, etc

British Empire & Commonwealth (2004/078/001)

Three R.S.G.B. (Radio Society of Great Britain) call sign badges. 'VQ4KPB' printed at the bottom of all three. All metal. All belonged to husband of donor, Kenneth Peter Bailey, an Entomological Field Officer with East African Veterinary Research Organisation (E.A.V.R.O) from November 1944 until 1968. a) RSGB with a blue enamelled logo. B) RSEA with a red enamelled logo. C) RSGB with a globe covering the bottom half of the blue diamond logo. ‘Empire DX Award’. All marked on back ‘Maker G&LJ’.

British Empire & Commonwealth (1054.TET)

Gold bracelet with finger rings.

British Empire & Commonwealth (1051.TET)

Gold necklace with ?carnelian beads, white filigree wire cages.

British Empire & Commonwealth (1048.TET)

Long gold necklace, large chain with openwork ball beads.