Events

From the most basic table-cuts to the perfectly proportioned round brilliants of today, this lecture traces how man has mastered the technique of cutting and polishing the hardest substance on earth, including how diamonds...

This lecture looks at the origins and development of London’s great auction houses, studying the notable characters in their histories, exploring the controversies and mapping their growth from small individual enterprises to monolithic international...

This lecture looks at why this Baltimore woman, born in 1896, was so demonised by the British establishment, accused of being a spy, prostitute or Nazi sympathiser, yet how, after she married the ex-King...

The earliest cars were purely functional and lacked even the most basic of passenger comforts, such as doors and windscreens. This lecture covers some of the most beautiful cars ever built, from the ‘horseless...

This lecture will seek to unravel the myth and the iconography behind the proliferation of the story of the adoration of the magi, from its Eastern and pagan roots to its current Christian interpretation,...

British seaside and how the entertainments there evolved. Pierrot troupes and concert parties were ubiquitous throughout the seaside resorts of Britain, but what is a Pierrot troupe?

This lecture tracks the early stages of cartoons and how, through the works of Hogarth and James Gillray, they gradually evolved. Copious illustrations abound from Tenniel, Leech, Searle, Robinson, and Giles.

Iconic photographs are embedded in our collective memory, from historic events to fabulous portraits and scenes of emotional joy. This talk analyses the power of these images.