What's On
CLOCKING ON: Working Life in the 20th Century
28 June - 7 September 2008
A new exhibition at Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum showing 28 June – 7 September will explore what it was like to work in Warwick District during the 20th Century. The exhibition, CLOCKING ON, presents the experiences of workers at four of the biggest employers in the region, Automotive Products (AP), Flavel, Ford and Potterton.
During the 20th Century, social reform and the impact of two World Wars radically influenced the workplace in Britain. The minimum wage was introduced, women joined the workforce in greater numbers than ever before and working hours were reduced. Using stories and memories from employees of the factories, the exhibition shows workplaces that offered much more that just a place to earn a living. Anecdotes from former employees describe friendships, opportunities to take part in sporting and leisure activities and a sense of community.
During World War Two this community feeling was extremely strong; rolls of honour from both AP and Ford commemorating those who lost their lives feature in the exhibition. Other exhibits include an ashtray that was given as first place prize in a relay race at a Flavel sports day and examples of products made by the factories. Visitors can learn about different jobs in the factories and find out about an average day at work by choosing a character and following a trail around the exhibition.
Warwickshire through the eyes of a Victorian tourist
A unique view of Victorian Warwickshire can be seen in a new display at Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum in the Royal Pump Rooms. The display features a portfolio of drawings by Mr William Colliss, an amateur artist, which he titled ‘SKETCHES TAKEN IN WARWICKSHIRE DURING HOLIDAY TRIP AUGUST 1867’. The drawings provide a quirky and highly personal view of Warwickshire at a time when Royal Leamington Spa, where he stayed with relatives, was changing from a spa resort into a residential town. The portfolio, which contains 41 pages of sketches and watercolour paintings, was bought by the Art Gallery & Museum at an auction held in Stratford-on-Avon on 28 February 2008.
In the preface Colliss explains that the pictures were ‘original drawings done on the spot’ in pencil and then, to avoid fading or rubbing out, gone over in ink. In the case of the drawings of Warwick Castle, though, most of these were done from memory because ‘the attendant an antient [sic] Lady seized my portfolio from under my arm, petulantly remarking “No sketching allowed here”. This blank book was returned to me on leaving the lodge after looking over the castle’. Colliss includes an amusing, cartoon-like drawing of this confrontation.
The portfolio contains two maps locating some of the places he visited around Leamington. These include some of the leading tourist sights of the time: Warwick Castle (shown in four scenes, including the one showing his sketch book being confiscated), Kenilworth Castle (three) and Stratford-on-Avon (two). These remain major tourist destinations today, but there are also drawings taken of sights which are no longer so popular: Guy’s Cliffe house and mill (six scenes) and a sketch of the old oak tree on the outskirts of Leamington said to mark the centre of England. There are also a number of views of the town of Warwick, as well as ones taken in Leamington and surrounding villages such as Lillington, Milverton, Offchurch, Radford Semele and Whitnash.
The census records from 1861 and 1871 suggest that at the time of his holiday Colliss, although born in Bognor, Sussex, was living in Lambeth and working as a ‘Commercial Clerk to East India Agents’. He died in January 1926 at Freshwater, Isle of Wight.
Temporary Displays: Literary Leamington: A history of reading and writing
Writing is all around us and plays an often unacknowledged part of our daily lives. We know which shop to go to because of the sign outside, write text messages to arrange a meeting with friends and catch up with daily events by reading the newspaper on the journey home. To mark the importance of writing and reading, 2008 has been designated the Year of Reading.
As part of the celebrations, Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum has a new display, Literary Leamington. The first part of the display explores the development of writing from the earliest cuneiform symbols used in Mesopotamia in 3000 BC through to the Latin alphabet, which forms the basis of the written language we use today.
The second part of the display looks at literary figures who have been inspired by Leamington and the surrounding area. Charles Dickens based a scene in Dombey and Son in Holly Walk and Sir Walter Scott set his historic novel Kenilworth at Kenilworth Castle.
Objects on display include:
Hieroglyphic stones from Ancient Egypt
Portable writing box, c.1863
Print of Kenilworth Castle in the 16th century.
Mezzanine Displays: Abbott H Thayer: ‘Father of Camouflage’
Abbott H Thayer (1849-1921), American artist and naturalist, wrote the book Concealing Coloration in the Animal Kingdom in 1907. In this publication he set out some of the founding principles which have shaped our understanding of the natural phenomenon of camouflage in both flora and fauna. His more outlandish theories have since been discredited, but the essential principles of disruptive pattern and counter-shading remain the basic tenets of visual deception.
Camouflage is often associated with military usage, but is also employed by naturalists in the field and has been a great influence on fashion through the 20th century.
This display includes:
1. Abbott H Thayer, Concealing Coloration in the Animal Kingdom,1907
2. Hardy Bletchman & Alex Newman (ed.), DPM: Disruptive Pattern Material – An Encyclopedia of Camouflage: Nature/Military/Culture, 2004
3. A selection of T-shirts by Maharishi Clothing
The T-shirts have been arranged in a manner which demonstrates the principle of counter-shading, which was described by Edward Bagnall Poulton, Professor of Zoology, University of Oxford in 1902 as ‘the graduation of animal tints, from the dark on the back to white on the belly’. The designs include patterns inspired by animal disruptive patterning and in some cases there are animals concealed within the design.
This display is part of The Art of Deception: A Festival of Camouflage taking place in Leamington Spa 3 June – 27 August 2008. Thanks to Hardy Bletchman of Maharishi Clothing / DPM Publishing who has loaned the items for this display.
Past Exhibitions Archive
- Abbott H Thayer: ‘Father of Camouflage’ - July 2008 (16kb, PDF)
- Literary Leamington - July 2008 (26kb PDF)
- Clocking On - June 2008 (97kb, PDF)
- Phillip Warnell - April 2008 (106kb, PDF)
- Open 2007 - November 2007 (96kb, PDF)
- Maker Unknown - September 2007 (96kb, PDF)
- Made In The Middle - July2007 (117kb, PDF)
- Jo Roberts: Finding A Way Through - March 2007 (100kb, PDF)
- Jo Roberts: Finding A Way Through - the artist's perspective (126kb, PDF)
- Playtime - December 2006 (110kb, PDF)
- 100 Faces - October 2006 (159kb, PDF)
- Richard Dadd - August 2006 (77kb, PDF)
- Making Words - April 2006 (50kb, PDF)
- Jerwood Photography Awards 2005 Winners - December 2005 (71kb, PDF)
- Philip Sutton RA: Woodcuts 1962-1976 - November 2005 (83kb, PDF)
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