Acquisition Events: Forms of Exchange over Time

Chris Wingfield
Researcher 'The Other Within' project

 

As well as looking at a generic total for acquisition events, it is also possible to consider changes in the forms that these transactions took over time. By plotting totals for the number of donations, purchases, loans, transfers and bequests it is possible to give a qualitative dimension to a consideration of the museum’s activity in terms of acquisitions of English material.

While Graph 6 makes it clear that there is an overall decline in activity relating to acquisitions of English material after the 1950s, the decline in purchases of material is particularly marked after the 1940s. In addition this graph shows a line for material that was found unaccessioned and this has peaks in the mid century when material was worked on during the war, as well as after Balfour’s death, but particularly in the 1990s and early 21^st century. This fairly reflects the increase in collections audit work the museum has undertaken during this period.

 

 

Graph 7 excludes donations and material found unaccessioned and because of an adjusted scale is able to give a better sense of the patterns of other sorts of acquisition. These occur at a low level throughout, however there are some clear patterns. Alongside the dramatic decline in purchases, loan activity seems to decline in the second half of the twentieth century, ceasing in the 1980s, while bequests only really seem to begin from the 1930s onwards. Exchanges of English material seem relatively uncommon throughout.

 

 

 

Further research using acquisition events is planned to investigate the pattern of gender amongst donors, as well as using it to investigate specific counties