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The Volunteer Archive and Research Group have been working hard to uncover original documents and objects that can tell us more about the history of the School for the Blind. We were invited by the Curator of Community History, Kay Jones, to visit the National Museums Liverpool object stores and view some of the collection which relates to the school.
We were very excited to go ‘behind the scenes’ of the Museum of Liverpool and view some of the objects that are not currently on display. Kay had carefully laid out items for us to look at and discuss. Objects included personal items donated by Caroline France, a former pupil of the school, items made at the school such as baskets, equipment used by pupils in the school and paper documents such as admissions forms and annual reports. We spent the afternoon discussing the objects, the stories they tell us and how they complement or challenge the research we have been doing.
Kerry getting a close look at the sock knitting machine in the collection of the Museum of Liverpool MMM.1993.48.9
An ‘object’ that we really responded to was a black and white photograph of an exhibition of work by The School for the Blind taken in 1949. The image complemented the baskets made by students at the school that the museum have in their collection.
We really enjoyed seeing the objects and sharing our thoughts and feelings about the collection. What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon!