The British Library has a deserved reputation for putting on exhibitions that are highly relevant to teachers, and its latest show, due to run through to March 11, 2014 is no exception. The objects included in the Georgians Revealed: Life, Style and the Making of Modern Britain range from rare and beautiful books from King George III’s personal library, to everyday objects and ephemera revealing just how many of our current hobbies, occupations and interests were established and popularised by the Georgians, from leisure pursuits including fashion, shopping, gardening and sports, to more dubious pastimes including gambling and celebrity gossip.
Accompanying the items from the Library’s collections are also historic objects from the period, including Van Aken’s ‘An English Family at Tea’ from Tate Britain, elegant furniture and crockery from the V&A, Georgian shoes from Northampton Museum and Art Gallery and a masquerade mask, picnic hamper, poignant statues and Jeremy Bentham’s violin from the Museum of London.
To accompany the show there is a rich programme of Key stage 3, 4 and 5 workshop sessions on offer exploring the social and cultural life of the period and investigating the impact of the Georgian age on modern Britain (tinyurl.com/tsbygeorge)
Find out more about Georgians Revealed: Life, Style and the Making of Modern Britain by visiting the British Library’s website.
Image credit: George Cruikshank. La belle assemblee. London, 1817. Image © British Library Board
