Storytelling through things and space
Historic interiors, known as ‘period rooms’, have been collected and displayed by museums since the late 19th century. Evocative, atmospheric spaces, they however pose constant challenges of authenticity, conservation and ethics to museums and visitors alike. This lecture (as part of the 2017 Festival of Ideas – The Story of Things) will explore the stories of period rooms and their challenges through the V&A’s 18th-century interiors, shown in the British Galleries and in the Europe 1600-1815 galleries which opened in 2015.