Charles Seligman Beatrice Blackwood PRM Museum John Hutton Henry Balfour Edward Tylor Augustus Fox
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The Pitt Rivers Museum

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  1. Wilfred Susan Blackman continued to volunteer at Museum
  2. Francis Howe Seymour Knowles resumed volunteering at Museum
  3. Displays worked on during the year: Magic / charms, Neolithic series, Rosaries
  4. Anna Tylor died
  5. Remainder of Tylor collection came to Museum
  6. Part of Lower Gallery closed so new wall cases could be fitted
  7. Upper part of Museum House given to Museum but work needed on premises not carried out
  8. Displays worked on during the year: Ceremonial weapons and tools, EC Africa [Roscoe collection], Fishing
  9. Blackwood appointed Demonstrator in Physical Anthropology, Dept of Human Anatomy
  10. Balfour travelled to Nagaland, India, August 1922-January 1923
  11. No real annual report produced for this year, just list of accessions
  12. Displays worked on during the year: None listed
  13. Displays worked on during the year: None listed but work was done. Lower Gallery remained closed while work carried out in it
  14. Sometime in early 1920s Ernest Seymour Thomas started work at PRM, as assistant to Balfour, probably 1924-5. His first mention in annual report is in 1924
  15. Balfour spent most of the year working on the Westlake collection of stone tools
  16. Displays worked on during the year: Blow-guns, Spears, work in Lower Gallery
  17. Work continued in Upper Gallery, which was closed during installation of new wall cases. Lower Gallery remained closed
  18. Further serious problems were experienced with the roof which leaked
  19. Displays worked on during the year: Spears, Pottery, cases in Lower Gallery
  20. George R. Carline resigned as Assistant Curator
  21. Thomas Kenneth Penniman registered as Diploma student
  22. Lower Gallery reopened for BAAS meeting at Oxford
  23. Ernest Seymour Thomas worked on cataloguing and labeling objects
  24. New wall cases built in Upper Gallery
  25. Plague of rats in museum, which caused damage to the collections
  26. Roof repaired. New heating pipes laid in museum, but problems were experienced and further work was required
  27. Displays worked on during the year: None listed but work was done
  28. Balfour reappointed Curator until 1934
  29. More cases installed in Upper Gallery
  30. Problems still experienced with heating system
  31. Ernest Seymour Thomas worked on cataloguing and labeling objects
  32. Balfour continued to work on the Westlake collection
  33. Balfour travelled on Booth Line passenger cruise up the Amazon River, July-August
  34. Displays worked on during the year: Stone implements, slings bolas lassoes, bone horn ivory implements, kopis sword blade
  35. Ernest Seymour Thomas worked on cataloguing and labeling objects
  36. New exhibition cases added to Upper and Lower Galleries
  37. A severe gale ripped part of the museum roof off and damaged some cases in the Upper Gallery during November
  38. Problems still experienced with heating system
  39. Balfour complained at lack of space in Museum in annual report
  40. Balfour continued to work on the Westlake collection
  41. Ernest Seymour Thomas started cataloguing Naga objects
  42. Balfour visited Keny and Uganda, June-September
  43. Displays worked on during the year: Barkcloth
  44. Balfour again complained at lack of space in Museum in annual report
  45. Balfour visited South Africa for BAAS meetings, then travelled to Zambia, Tanzania and Zanzibar, July-September
  46. Displays worked on during the year: None listed but work was done
  47. Ernest Seymour Thomas completed catalogue of the Naga objects
  48. New cases erected around pillars and other places in Court
  49. Balfour visits Nigeria July-October
  50. Displays worked on during the year: None listed but work was done
  51. Work began on the photographic collections, mounting them for display and classifying them
  52. More new cases installed
  53. Balfour continued to work on the Westlake collection
  54. Displays worked on during the year: None listed but work was done
  55. Balfour complained at lack of space in Museum in annual report
  56. Ernest Seymour Thomas completed work on photographic collections
  57. Large collection of objects transferred from Indian Institute ?
  58. Francis Howe Seymour Knowles began voluntary work on lighting card catalogue series
  59. Displays worked on during the year: Stone implements
  60. Francis Howe Seymour Knowles began voluntary work on surgical and medical appliances card catalogue series and continued work on Balfour's collection of lighting appliances
  61. Antoinette Powell-Cotton volunteered cataloguing footwear
  62. Electrical light was installed in the Green shed
  63. Balfour again complained at lack of space in Museum in annual report
  64. Several wall screens were installed in Museum House for storage
  65. Balfour continued to work on the Westlake collection
  66. Displays worked on during the year: Fire-arms
  67. Balfour complained at lack of space in Museum in annual report
  68. New cases added to Court and Upper gallery, more security was added to cases in the Lower Gallery
  69. F.H.S. Knowles and Antoinette Powell-Cotton continued to volunteer working on the card catalogues
  70. Members of the First Congress of Anthropology visited Museum
  71. Displays worked on during the year: Peruvian textiles
  72. Balfour appointed Professor of Ethnology, November [personal appointment]
  73. Balfour ill and spent time in a nursing home
  74. Penniman took on Balfour's teaching commitments in his absence
  75. New cases added in Court
  76. New range of sheds built alongside Museum and office space was reallocated so that additional storage space could be provided
  77. Ernest Seymour Thomas died
  78. Blackwood officially transferred from Department of Human Anatomy to PRM as University Demonstrator in Ethnology in 1936
  79. Blackwood left in April 1936 for fieldwork in New Guinea under auspices of PRM
  80. Balfour ill and absent in nursing home, Penniman took on his teaching commitments
  81. After death of Thomas and Balfour's ill-health, great staffing difficulties experienced
  82. R.R. Marett due to retire in 1936, but his Readership extended until 1937 when Radcliffe-Brown could take up the new Chair
  83. Alfred Reginald Radcliffe-Browne elected to first Oxford University chair in Social Anthropology in 1936, but did not take up duties until 1937
  84. Conditions in Museum House very bad as there was inadequate heating causing potential damage to specimens
  85. New exhibition cases added to Upper Gallery and Court
  86. F.H.S. Knowles continued to volunteer working on the card catalogues
  87. Displays worked on during the year: None listed but work was done
  88. Glass roof again required repair as it leaked during wet weather
  89. Museum House heating still caused problems
  90. Francis Howe Seymour Knowles continued to volunteer on cataloguing
  91. Balfour still ill and spent several months in nursing home
  92. Penniman and Blackwood (on her return from New Guinea in April 1938) took on Balfour's teaching in his absence
  93. Heinrich Meinhard joined staff, his work paid by Society for the Protection of Science and Learning
  94. Displays worked on during the year: None listed but work was done
  95. Faculty of Anthropology and Geography established, first meeting of the Board held October 1938 ?
  96. Balfour died 9 February 1939
  97. Balfour bequeathed large collection and library to Museum and these were worked on and displayed at 9 Crick Road. F.C. Whiting appointed to take care of collections
  98. Penniman appointed Acting Curator January 1939, Penniman and Blackwood deputise for Balfour's lectures
  99. Glass roof again overhauled, ventilating fan installed
  100. Curtains were provided for some cases that had light sensitive objects within them
  101. Some objects on open display glassed in
  102. Heating and drainage systems 'modernised' in work rooms and Curator's office
  103. Work began on card catalogue system for all Museum objects
  104. Displays worked on during the year: None listed but work was done
  105. Francis Howe Seymour Knowles continued to volunteer
  106. Heinrich Meinhard worked on new accessions and photography
  107. Penniman employed as second Curator of the PRM from 1 October 1939 for seven years
  108. Work continued on card catalogue system
  109. PRM Occasional Papers on Technology series established ?
  110. Problems still experienced with heating in the Court due to the glass roof, wartime painting of roof helped somewhat
  111. First plans to develop the museum by extension or relocation drawn up by Penniman
  112. Staff at museum included Penniman, Blackwood, HJ Walters, FC Whiting, JF Green [cabinet maker]
  113. Volunteers at museum included Mrs Meinhard, Mrs Maspero, RJC Atkinson and Mr Gibbs worked on cataloguing, Francis Howe Seymour Knowles worked on redisplays with Penniman, AA Kennedy restored some musical instruments
  114. Blackwood given office in Museum, she visited Canada, USA and Mexico July-September ?
  115. New store rooms and working rooms were created above the workshops
  116. Anti-war protection was provided for glass roof, black-outs were not possible so staff could not work in museum after dark
  117. Decision taken by Penniman not to evacuate collections
  118. Accession numbering system installed in Museum ?
  119. Displays worked on during the year: Stone implements
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The financial support of this project by the ESRC is gratefully acknowledged.