Me and my research: Object lessons

I began working at the Tatton Park estate in Cheshire in 2010 and was soon captivated by a series of objects that were not the usual trappings of a country home. Between 1896 and 1958, Maurice – the fourth and last Baron Egerton of Tatton – travelled around the world amassing a substantial collection of natural history, ethnography and geology. 

A meticulous record keeper and diarist, Maurice inventoried his acquisitions and wrote labels for his display in the custom-built Tenants Hall at Tatton Park. 

I am researching how the collection was built up and used by Maurice in order to create a useful narrative for interpretation at Tatton Park today. I also hope to increase understanding of cultural exchanges in colonial contexts and explore the relationships between peoples and objects. Finally, I intend to probe deeper into the life and times of private collections that form and develop outside of official museum histories. 

Unlike museum collections that often become detached from associations with the original donor, Maurice’s collection retained his personal attention and is inevitably shot through with human passion, memory and a sense of identity. 

Instead of setting these emotions aside as an undesirable by-product of a rational history, I’m exploring the relationships between collector and collection. 

Maurice’s intervention in the lives of his objects makes them useful tools to reveal his unique motivations, tastes and actions as a collector. Conversely, a study into Egerton’s background makes it possible to predict the types of objects he might find appealing and the methods he would deem appropriate to acquire them. 

The collection tells us not only how Egerton collected and represented “otherness” but also how he portrayed an image of himself to his intended audiences.