The Pitt Rivers Museum
| 1820 | 1840 | 1860 | 1880 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
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- Wilfred Susan Blackman continued to volunteer at Museum
- Francis Howe Seymour Knowles resumed volunteering at Museum
- Displays worked on during the year: Magic / charms, Neolithic series, Rosaries
- Anna Tylor died
- Remainder of Tylor collection came to Museum
- Part of Lower Gallery closed so new wall cases could be fitted
- Upper part of Museum House given to Museum but work needed on premises not carried out
- Displays worked on during the year: Ceremonial weapons and tools, EC Africa [Roscoe collection], Fishing
- Blackwood appointed Demonstrator in Physical Anthropology, Dept of Human Anatomy
- Balfour travelled to Nagaland, India, August 1922-January 1923
- No real annual report produced for this year, just list of accessions
- Displays worked on during the year: None listed
- Displays worked on during the year: None listed but work was done. Lower Gallery remained closed while work carried out in it
- 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
- Balfour spent most of the year working on the Westlake collection of stone tools
- Displays worked on during the year: Blow-guns, Spears, work in Lower Gallery
- Work continued in Upper Gallery, which was closed during installation of new wall cases. Lower Gallery remained closed
- Further serious problems were experienced with the roof which leaked
- Displays worked on during the year: Spears, Pottery, cases in Lower Gallery
- George R. Carline resigned as Assistant Curator
- Thomas Kenneth Penniman registered as Diploma student
- Lower Gallery reopened for BAAS meeting at Oxford
- Ernest Seymour Thomas worked on cataloguing and labeling objects
- New wall cases built in Upper Gallery
- Plague of rats in museum, which caused damage to the collections
- Roof repaired. New heating pipes laid in museum, but problems were experienced and further work was required
- Displays worked on during the year: None listed but work was done
- Balfour reappointed Curator until 1934
- More cases installed in Upper Gallery
- Problems still experienced with heating system
- Ernest Seymour Thomas worked on cataloguing and labeling objects
- Balfour continued to work on the Westlake collection
- Balfour travelled on Booth Line passenger cruise up the Amazon River, July-August
- Displays worked on during the year: Stone implements, slings bolas lassoes, bone horn ivory implements, kopis sword blade
- Ernest Seymour Thomas worked on cataloguing and labeling objects
- New exhibition cases added to Upper and Lower Galleries
- A severe gale ripped part of the museum roof off and damaged some cases in the Upper Gallery during November
- Problems still experienced with heating system
- Balfour complained at lack of space in Museum in annual report
- Balfour continued to work on the Westlake collection
- Ernest Seymour Thomas started cataloguing Naga objects
- Balfour visited Keny and Uganda, June-September
- Displays worked on during the year: Barkcloth
- Balfour again complained at lack of space in Museum in annual report
- Balfour visited South Africa for BAAS meetings, then travelled to Zambia, Tanzania and Zanzibar, July-September
- Displays worked on during the year: None listed but work was done
- Ernest Seymour Thomas completed catalogue of the Naga objects
- New cases erected around pillars and other places in Court
- Balfour visits Nigeria July-October
- Displays worked on during the year: None listed but work was done
- Work began on the photographic collections, mounting them for display and classifying them
- More new cases installed
- Balfour continued to work on the Westlake collection
- Displays worked on during the year: None listed but work was done
- Balfour complained at lack of space in Museum in annual report
- Ernest Seymour Thomas completed work on photographic collections
- Large collection of objects transferred from Indian Institute ?
- Francis Howe Seymour Knowles began voluntary work on lighting card catalogue series
- Displays worked on during the year: Stone implements
- 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
- Antoinette Powell-Cotton volunteered cataloguing footwear
- Electrical light was installed in the Green shed
- Balfour again complained at lack of space in Museum in annual report
- Several wall screens were installed in Museum House for storage
- Balfour continued to work on the Westlake collection
- Displays worked on during the year: Fire-arms
- Balfour complained at lack of space in Museum in annual report
- New cases added to Court and Upper gallery, more security was added to cases in the Lower Gallery
- F.H.S. Knowles and Antoinette Powell-Cotton continued to volunteer working on the card catalogues
- Members of the First Congress of Anthropology visited Museum
- Displays worked on during the year: Peruvian textiles
- Balfour appointed Professor of Ethnology, November [personal appointment]
- Balfour ill and spent time in a nursing home
- Penniman took on Balfour's teaching commitments in his absence
- New cases added in Court
- New range of sheds built alongside Museum and office space was reallocated so that additional storage space could be provided
- Ernest Seymour Thomas died
- Blackwood officially transferred from Department of Human Anatomy to PRM as University Demonstrator in Ethnology in 1936
- Blackwood left in April 1936 for fieldwork in New Guinea under auspices of PRM
- Balfour ill and absent in nursing home, Penniman took on his teaching commitments
- After death of Thomas and Balfour's ill-health, great staffing difficulties experienced
- R.R. Marett due to retire in 1936, but his Readership extended until 1937 when Radcliffe-Brown could take up the new Chair
- Alfred Reginald Radcliffe-Browne elected to first Oxford University chair in Social Anthropology in 1936, but did not take up duties until 1937
- Conditions in Museum House very bad as there was inadequate heating causing potential damage to specimens
- New exhibition cases added to Upper Gallery and Court
- F.H.S. Knowles continued to volunteer working on the card catalogues
- Displays worked on during the year: None listed but work was done
- Glass roof again required repair as it leaked during wet weather
- Museum House heating still caused problems
- Francis Howe Seymour Knowles continued to volunteer on cataloguing
- Balfour still ill and spent several months in nursing home
- Penniman and Blackwood (on her return from New Guinea in April 1938) took on Balfour's teaching in his absence
- Heinrich Meinhard joined staff, his work paid by Society for the Protection of Science and Learning
- Displays worked on during the year: None listed but work was done
- Faculty of Anthropology and Geography established, first meeting of the Board held October 1938 ?
- Balfour died 9 February 1939
- 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
- Penniman appointed Acting Curator January 1939, Penniman and Blackwood deputise for Balfour's lectures
- Glass roof again overhauled, ventilating fan installed
- Curtains were provided for some cases that had light sensitive objects within them
- Some objects on open display glassed in
- Heating and drainage systems 'modernised' in work rooms and Curator's office
- Work began on card catalogue system for all Museum objects
- Displays worked on during the year: None listed but work was done
- Francis Howe Seymour Knowles continued to volunteer
- Heinrich Meinhard worked on new accessions and photography
- Penniman employed as second Curator of the PRM from 1 October 1939 for seven years
- Work continued on card catalogue system
- PRM Occasional Papers on Technology series established ?
- Problems still experienced with heating in the Court due to the glass roof, wartime painting of roof helped somewhat
- First plans to develop the museum by extension or relocation drawn up by Penniman
- Staff at museum included Penniman, Blackwood, HJ Walters, FC Whiting, JF Green [cabinet maker]
- 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
- Blackwood given office in Museum, she visited Canada, USA and Mexico July-September ?
- New store rooms and working rooms were created above the workshops
- Anti-war protection was provided for glass roof, black-outs were not possible so staff could not work in museum after dark
- Decision taken by Penniman not to evacuate collections
- Accession numbering system installed in Museum ?
- Displays worked on during the year: Stone implements
