One detailed newspaper article written as a presentation of the Horniman Museum, signed by Arthur J. Ireland. Unknown publication, unknown year.
The Horniman Museum, situated in Forest Hill, property of Mr. F. J. Horniman, is one of the London attractions displaying a most heterogeneous and interesting collection. Most branches of science are well represented, and history has no small share of the space.
The museum is open to the public on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The article is written for those members of the public who know very little about the Horniman Museum, especially those with a particular interest in history.
The first historical exhibits are to be found in the third room: first, a knight and horse in full armour of German provenance; then, the Spanish Inquisition Chair dating from 1676. In the next room there is a beautifully carved oak Tudor bedstead, one of the three in the museum and the only one carved with the date when it was made: 1780. In the Old English Parlour two exceptional pieces of tapestry are to be found: one depicting the Battle of Hastings, and the other the trial of Mary, the Queen of Scots. Both these pieces were originally displayed in Fotheringay Castle.
A most interesting part of the visit is the so-called “Gallery of Antiquities” room. Wall displayed extracts from the Egyptian Book of the dead, or from the Papyrus of Ani, are to be admired here. Then, there are numerous mummies in various stages of preservation, some of them dating from the time of the twenty-first dynasty, 3,000 years ago.
The next room relevant to the visitor with an interest in history is the one devoted to the Indian gods: Buddha, Ganesh or Shiva are to be admired in many forms here, along with numerous other intriguing idols. After visiting the following sections of the Museum (the Entomological and Zoological rooms), the visitor is surely to conclude that they have spent a most instructive and enjoyable afternoon at the Horniman Museum.
