Collection: Leisure & Culture Dundee

Collection-level records:

• Collection history (Collection development policy)

  The City of Dundee’s collections number some 150,000 objects and span fine and decorative art, archaeology, world cultures, history and natural history. These objects reflect the story of Dundee and its hinterland, and the City’s role in the rich history of Scottish art.

  In 1824, Dundee’s Watt Institute, a museum and library, was formed. Original inventories of the collections do not survive, but we do know that it contained Arctic fauna and ethnographical objects. The Watt Institute collections of history, natural history and world cultures were acquired by the City in 1869 and moved into the newly established Albert Institute. The building was first extended in 1873 and by this date a small fine art collection had been established.

  Between 1877 and 1891 The Albert Institute became the venue for Dundee’s hugely successful Fine Art Exhibitions, in their day described as second only to those held in Paris. Purchases from these selling exhibitions enabled the fine art collection to grow. Such was the success of these exhibitions that a third museum extension was required. Completed in 1889, this created the suite of four ground floor museum rooms and four first floor art galleries that still form the core of The McManus displays today.

  Some of the earliest recorded donations, were given by Henry S Cox, of Cox Bros (Calcutta), one of the largest jute firms in Dundee. Material by Dr Peter Rattray, who followed in the footsteps of Mary Slessor, represents the single biggest donation of African material to Dundee. T W Miln and George Duncan MP were the first of a series of enthusiastic local art collectors to bequeath artworks.

  The addition of the Victoria Galleries to the Albert Institute in 1888 allowed the museum exhibits to expand and in 1890 the South Room was redesigned as an Art Museum to show casts of Classical and Renaissance sculpture, which later expanded to Scottish work such as Pictish crosses. A grant from the Science & Art Department at South Kensington, now the V&A, London, covered half the cost. In 1911 the opening of the Central Reading Rooms on Barrack Street, now The Collections Unit, gave room for the collection to expand to over 100 pieces.

  By 1895, the collections had grown so extensive that the Albert Institute and Victoria Galleries were over-crowded. The former Dudhope Barracks opened as a new Technical Museum on the 23rd July 1900. With model machinery, ship models, natural history, including the Arctic fauna and ethnography, its central feature was the Boulton-Watt engine, built in 1785. Despite its popularity, at the outbreak of WW1 the Barracks reverted to military ownership. Dudhope Museum closed in 1949 and the collections returned to Albert Square.

  By the early years of the 20th century, The Albert Institute was home to Egyptian displays presented by Sir James Caird. Natural history exhibits included sponges and corals, fish, reptiles and birds. Large African big game, fossils and minerals, were contrasted with the skeleton of the Tay Whale and Arctic and Antarctic specimens, including some collected by Sir Ernest Shackelton during his Antarctic Expedition of 1914.

  Throughout the 20th century the collection grew, through gifts, bequests and acquisitions secured by a growing specialist curatorial team. Barrack Street Museum focussed on the display of the natural history collections augmented by a series of popular touring and themed exhibitions in the Art and Nature gallery. The Barrack Street Museum closed in 1994, and reopened in 2005 as The Collections Unit, the main store for the City’s collections.

  Broughty Castle Museum opened in 1969 with displays focussed on the whaling and military collections. Today displays explore the history of Broughty Ferry, Natural Science, Military and a dedicated gallery to The Orchar Collection.

  In 1978, the Library was moved to new premises in the nearby Wellgate, and the museum interiors were modernized. In 1984, the Albert Institute with its dynamic early history displays was renamed The McManus Galleries, in honour of Lord Provost Maurice McManus. In 1989, to celebrate the transfer of the entire Orchar Collection to Dundee City Council, the busy hang of a red-walled Victorian gallery was recreated instantly becoming one of the most admired galleries in the building. Despite the building showing its age, a dynamic programme of exhibitions and displays contributed to the McManus Galleries being voted Dundee’s best loved building in 2000.

  During this period, art acquisitions began to be made in partnership with external agencies including the Scottish Arts Council and the Lottery funded National Collecting Scheme for Scotland. In 2008, as part of its major redevelopment (2005-10), the building was renamed The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery and Museum.

  Today, three of Dundee’s collections are Recognised as being of national significance by Museums Galleries Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government; the entire Fine Art Collection, Decorative Art Collection and Whaling Collection.

  Leisure & Culture Dundee, on behalf of Dundee City Council, manages Mills Observatory, The Old Steeple, The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery & Museum and runs Broughty Castle Museum (in a partnership with Historic Environment Scotland who own the building and are responsible for the site).

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2024

  Licence: CC BY-NC

• Collection overview (Collection development policy)

  The Whaling and Fine and Decorative Arts Collections are Recognised as being of national significance by Museums Galleries Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government. Within the wider collections there are individual objects of local, national and international significance.

  The museum collections sit within the broader context of collections owned by Dundee City Council, including Local History collections managed by Leisure & Culture Dundee Library Services, Archives managed by Dundee City Council and artwork and civic regalia in active use that does not form part of the accessioned museum collections and is administered by City Chambers.

  ARCHAEOLOGY

  The Archaeology Collection numbers over 8,200 objects relating to Regional and Foreign Archaeology.

  Regional Archaeology

  There are 6,360 objects in the Regional Archaeology Collection which includes objects and archives discovered by controlled archaeological excavation or chance finds. Up until the redrawing of regional boundaries in 1996, finds were collected from not only within Dundee but its surrounding area, including Tayside (which included Dundee City, Perth & Kinross and Angus) and Fife. Since 1996 the collecting area is restricted by the boundaries of Dundee City and finds are allocated via the Treasure Trove system. The museum is registered as a museum of last resort and can make a case to acquire unallocated finds from elsewhere.

  The collections reflect the pre-history and history of Tayside with finds assemblages from important archaeological investigations such as the Mesolithic site at Morton, the Pictish Lundin Links long cist cemetery, both in Fife, alongside medieval urban sites in Dundee and the remains of industries that thrived in living memory. The archaeology of Dundee is evidence that the City’s position on the Tay Estuary has proved attractive for millennia and that the exchange of goods and ideas has always been important to the areas’ inhabitants. The collection also includes a modest number of finds from England.

  Formerly the museum had its own Archaeology Field Unit which conducted its own excavations as well as aiding excavations in Dundee, Tayside and Fife. Currently Dundee City only has archaeological input in reference to planning applications.

  The collections are organised under the following categories:

  • Mesolithic

  • Neolithic

  • Bronze Age

  • Iron Age

  • Roman

  • Pictish

  • Medieval

  • Post Medieval

  The collection contains material that is important locally and nationally.

  The museum is the chief depository for the archaeological finds from Morton and the accompanying excavation reports.

  The Roman material from Severn fortress of Carpow is the most extensive outside the National Museum of Scotland and is of great interest to scholars of the Romans in Scotland. Included in this assemblage is a piece of scale armour, lorica squamata.

  The Regional archaeological collection also contains one of only two log boats to have survived excavation from the Tay. It dates from 485AD and has been identified as being dug out from a single log oak. The human remains from Lundin Links are a rare surviving example of people from the Pictish era.

  Foreign Archaeology

  The Foreign Archaeology Collection is defined as objects discovered in an archaeological context outwith Great Britain. It contains more than 1,900 objects, with examples from Ancient Egypt, Europe and the Americas.

  The Egyptology Collection largely stems from the museum’s early involvement with the Egypt Exploration Fund (now Society). It contains examples from important sites such as El Amarna, Abydos and Deir el-Bahri and ranging in time from Predynastic to Roman Egypt. The most notable is a portrait of Princess Neferurē (from Deir el-Bahri, Egypt). Also included is Egyptian material donated by Sir James Caird. Acquired through subscribing to the Egypt Exploration Fund is a stone sarcophagus for the priest Hor-em-heb, son of the priest Pa-Hor. The Egyptology Collection has been subject to a collections review by National Museums Scotland which is published on their website.

  The collection also includes 10 Greek Vases of exceptional quality.

  WORLD CULTURES

  The World Cultures Collection consists of 5,000 items from Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and Oceania. The greater part is African, predominantly from Nigeria, Zaire, Uganda and South Africa. The Americas Collection is predominantly Inuit with links to the Recognised Whaling Collection. The collection includes material collected by Dr Thomas Alexander Wise which was originally donated to the University of Dundee and transferred to Dundee City Council in 1993. Dr Wise was the first collector to bring Tibetan material to Scotland.

  NUMISMATICS

  The Numismatics Collection consists of circa 13,000 objects relating to Dundee, Scotland, Britain and Europe, the Classical World, and other countries around the world. Examples include coins, banknotes, trade tokens, communion tokens and medals. The ‘Paton Gloag Collection’ is of particular note and is believed to be of national importance. Also of significance are the coins of Robert II minted in Dundee, and Scottish and English gold coins.

  Also included is the A Cairncross bequest, a collection of more than 700 mostly Chinese coins that date from the Qin Dynasty (201-206BC) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912).

  Recently an updated version of Scottish Banknotes was published which included a number of our Dundee banknotes. Of interest within the collection of banknotes is a large number of German Notgeld.

  HISTORY

  This encompasses a huge area of the collection and one that is continually added to, historically categorised as community life, costume, domestic life, military, personal life, photography, transport and working life, the collection currently consists of over 52,000 objects. It is curated in the following broad categories and will be re-categorised to fit these themes:

  Community Life

  The collections currently consist of over 4,000 objects relating to the communities of Dundee and its surrounding areas. The collection is defined as objects representing groups of people or shared between a group. Examples include sport, leisure, education, law and order, local governance, music and religion. Also included are specific groups, such as women’s groups, fraternal and friendly societies and anything related to the LGBTQ+ community. There are natural crossovers with Working Life themes, including politics, shopping, business and retail.

  Of particular note is the diversity in the Sport collections. Recent, large donations have seen a growth in collections representing curling, boxing, bowling and golf.

  Costume

  This is a collection of over 5,000 items covering mainly female clothing, with men’s and children’s also represented. Highlights include Dundee-made Victorian dresses, an ever-growing collection relating to one of Dundee’s popular department stores Draffens, as well as a number of William Chalmers & Son shoes.

  Domestic Life

  This area currently holds about 1,000 objects relating to or used in the home or household, which includes soft furnishings, furniture (including musical instruments and clocks), tableware retailed by Dundee businesses, and toys and games. There is a natural crossover here with Working Life and Dundee-made furniture.

  Of particular note is the Southwell Piano, thought to be unique in its design, a handmade ironing board from 1941 and a handmade quilt made by a named Dundee jute worker in the 1930s/40s.

  Personal life

  This is a collection of over 2,000 objects specifically relating to one person as opposed to a group of people and kept for private use rather than being used in a domestic setting. Examples include accessories, jewellery and personal care items. Also included are textile samples and swatches. Some archival material would also fall under this category in the form of personal cards and letters.

  Also included anything linked to well-known Dundee individuals such as Mary Slessor, Robert Annan, Admiral Duncan, the Dundee Worthies, Mary Brooksbank, etc. Visits to Dundee from known figures would also fall into this category such as Buffalo Bill or Paul Robeson’s visit, or a band on a tour.

  Military

  Included in this collection area are over 2,000 items covering all military conflict as well as objects representing the Home Front. Collections relating to the Jacobites also fall under this heading, as well as collections relating to Broughty Castle and its military occupation. There is a crossover here with Working Life and Dundee made pistols.

  Objects of note include the Jacobite banner, the scrap of tartan from Bonnie Prince Charlie’s kilt, the World War I chocolate nurse, Winkie and her Dickin medal, and the Carr Archive – an autograph book, photographs and postcards belonging to the Dundee Conscientious Objector Ewan Geddes Carr during World War I.

  Working Life

  The collections currently consist of over 9,000 objects that relate to the working life of Dundee and activities which are undertaken for commercial purposes. Examples include the Nine Trades, Trade Unions, textile industries, whaling, publishing and printing, food manufacture and transport.

  The Whaling Collection is Recognised as being of national significance by Museums Galleries Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government

  The material relating to Dundee’s whaling past and general polar exploration overlaps with the Inuit ethnographic material. In view of the small amount of material surviving, this collection constitutes a major British collection of international importance. A number of Natural History specimens were collected by the Dundee Whalers and are also considered part of the Recognised collection.

  The shipping collection is a significant collection representing the City’s close connection to the sea. It is of great importance locally, regionally and in some areas nationally. Substantial research has been carried out into this collection.

  Historically, industry was central to the life of Dundee. A working-class City, Dundee’s industries have shaped the development of the City and its people. The industry collection reflects the changing industrial landscape of the City, the development of new industries and their connection with the past, for instance big companies that came to Dundee attracted by the skills of the available workforce.

  The Timex Collection is significant both locally and nationally, placing Dundee’s industrial heritage in a wider context. It reflects the productivity and success of the company in the City, as well as the strikes and final closure. Work will continue to improve documentation and knowledge of this collection working with former Timex employees. LACD is the main collection holder for Timex material in the City.

  LACD is aware of other organisations within the City whose collections sit alongside and overlap with the themes above, especially the collections held by Dundee Heritage Trust – the jute collection at Scotland’s Jute Museum at Verdant Works and those of polar exploration held at Discovery Point.

  Transport

  The collections currently consist of over 2,000 objects relating to how people in Dundee travelled both locally and further afield, including the development of travel for ordinary people as it became quicker and easier.

  Material relating to the transportation of goods to and from Dundee and the development of trading links using sea, rail, air and road. Significantly Dundee had some of Scotland’s first railways transporting goods and people, for example The Newtyle Railway opened in 1831. There is an overlap here with other History collection areas, including Working Life, Photography and Personal Life.

  Of significance is the 1879 Tay Bridge Disaster collection including souvenir memorabilia, photographs, wreckage from the bridge (girders) and train (doors from the carriages) as well as commemorative material.

  LACD is aware of other organisations within the City whose collections sit alongside and overlap with the themes above, especially the collections held by Dundee Museum of Transport.

  Photography

  This collection is separate from the Fine Art Photography collection and encompasses a range of media numbering about 20,000 items including lantern slides, glass negatives, albums, plastic negatives, 35 mm film (black & white and colour), photographic prints (from 19th century to present day, black & white and colour) and postcards.

  The collection includes images of whaling and polar exploration, studio photographs, material relating to local industries and businesses, and images of notable Dundee sitters. Items of note include images of Dundee’s Whaling industry, images of Buffalo Bill’s visit to Dundee, 1904 and recently the purchase of a set of previously unpublished negatives from The Beatles 1964 concert at Dundee’s Caird Hall.

  There is a natural crossover here with collections held at Dundee City Archives and the Local History Centre (Dundee Central Library), all part of Dundee City Council collections but not museum collection.

  Oral History

  Until 2004, the Oral History Collection consisted of a collection of cassette recordings. In 2004 oral history began to be pursued in a more strategic way, partly to include oral history in the McManus Galleries Who We Are redevelopment project, specifically The Making of Modern Dundee gallery.

  We have a significant collection of Timex oral history recordings, recorded at the time of the strikes, which are currently inaccessible. These unique recordings on reel-to-reel tapes and compact cassettes need to be digitised and transcribed. The material has not been touched since originally recorded and used for the 1996 play On The Line at Dundee Rep. In addition, the permissions alongside this material need to be reviewed and brought in line with current documentation standards.

  The Oral History Collection sits within a broader context of sound heritage cared for across collections in the City.

  NATURAL SCIENCES (NATURAL HISTORY) COLLECTION

  The collection consists of at least 46,000 specimens in four major categories; geology, invertebrates, plants and vertebrates. This is the percentage of each major part of the Natural Sciences Collection: Botany 23%, Invertebrates 38%, Vertebrates 24%, Geology 15%.

  Vertebrates

  Reptiles and Amphibians

  This is a small collection of mounted specimens (mostly crocodilians, turtles, lizards, snakes, frogs and toads), display casts, skeletal remains and spirit preserved specimens. There are currently less than 200 reptiles and amphibians in the collection.

  Fish

  This collection, which is of regional significance, contains over 500 wet preserved specimens and display mounts of historical interest. Noteworthy specimens include a large Atlantic Sailfish cast, the last and largest Atlantic Sturgeon caught in the River Tay (1888) and a collection of 14 Sawfish snouts. There is a small but regionally important collection collected from the Carolina Port Power station in the 1970s.

  Birds

  The collection consists of mounted specimens (a few in original display cases), study skins, various body parts (i.e. wings, legs), osteology (skulls, skeletons and bones) and eggs. There are 6,795 bird specimens within the collection, this number will increase as individual bones will eventually get an individual accession number rather than the whole skeleton being accessioned under one number. There are no plans for active collecting of (pre-protection) nests and eggs.

  Mounts – This collection contains over 930 specimens. Most are of British origin, although there are a small number of foreign specimens from localities such as Australasia and Antarctica (including some important non-native historical material collected by Sir Ernest Shackleton. About two thirds are recent, the remaining third being 19th-century specimens.) Over 90 specimens are from the Dundee Naturalists’ Society. Important non-native specimens were highlighted in Dr Sue Beardmore’s report on Priorities for Future Support and Development of Natural Science Collections in Scottish Museums, NMS Ellerman foundation.

  Study Skins – This collection which is of regional significance contains over 2,200 specimens. It includes historical material from JFT, Nisbet and JT Boase. Most of the specimens are of Scottish origin and have full data. The small foreign component includes specimens from North and South America, Africa and Australasia.

  Nests – This small collection is comprised mainly from donations made in the 19th century. Most of the common British species are represented. There are 143 bird nests listed on EMu. Further documentation is needed for this part of the collection.

  Eggs – This is a large collection of circa 7,000 eggs, and many have inadequate data. Although the vast majority are probably of British origin there is also a significant amount of European and American material. Further documentation is needed for this part of the collection. Numerous important specimens were highlighted in Dr Sue Beardmore’s report on Priorities for Future Support and Development of Natural Science Collections in Scottish Museums, NMS Ellerman foundation.

  Osteology – Mostly skulls, sacra and sterna of British birds with a handful of exotic bird skulls. The collection is complemented by a few complete skeletons. There are currently over 950 bird bones and skulls on EMu and this figure will increase when individual bones from whole skeletons get full records. Highlights include an impressive Eurasian Black Vulture skull from the Dundee Naturalists’ Society. Noted collections and specimens were highlighted in Dr Sue Beardmore’s report on Priorities for Future Support and Development of Natural Science Collections in Scottish Museums, NMS Ellerman foundation.

  Mammals

  Mounts – This collection contains over 260 listed specimens on EMu. Most are recent and are of Scottish origin, although a few foreign localities ranging from the Arctic to Australasia are also represented. The majority of the non-native specimens are from the historic collection before WW2 and include specimens of a lion (shot by Sir Thomas Dewar), Australian marsupials, various trophy heads i.e. leopard, kudu and moose. A polar bear from the Dundee Whalers is currently on loan and is displayed in the Hull Maritime Museum.

  Study Skins – This collection which is of regional significance contains over 370 specimens. Although a few older foreign specimens are present, the vast majority is of recent Scottish material.

  Osteology – This collection contains about 890 specimens listed on EMu, with just over half of this list being skulls, however, the number of bones (besides skulls) is set to greatly increase as individual bones from skeletons get individual EMu records. The number of documented osteology specimens has tripled since the previous policy 5 years ago thanks to retrospective documentation and is set to greatly increase further. It does however include the largest and most spectacular Natural History specimen – the Tay Whale skeleton (a sub-adult male Humpback Whale). Other large specimens include the skulls of an Asian Elephant, a hippopotamus, big cats, several walruses and dolphins. Numerous important specimens were highlighted in Dr Sue Beardmore’s report on Priorities for Future Support and Development of Natural Science Collections in Scottish Museums, NMS Ellerman foundation.

  Microscopic slides – About 450 mammalian specimens on microscopic slides including many human pathology samples. Most have little data and some are from commercial sources.

  The short and long-term priorities are the continued documentation and storage improvements of the Natural Sciences Collection. New acquisitions will be made as appropriate.

  Invertebrates

  Insects

  This collection includes approximately 35,000 pinned specimens and is of regional importance. More than two thirds are well-documented, 20th century specimens of Scottish origin. The strongest groups are Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), Coleoptera (beetles) and Diptera (flies). There are also a number of fluid-preserved specimens of aquatic species such as mayflies, stoneflies and caddis flies.

  However, most of the entomology collections require cataloguing to individual specimen level and rehousing. The collections are documented and stored using widely accepted taxonomic classifications.

  Molluscs

  This collection contains about 5,000 specimens of shells and includes a substantial proportion of foreign material, mostly tropical seashells with little accompanying data. Among the British material, parts of southern England are currently better represented than Scotland.

  The Derek Robertson Mollusc Collection of 622 specimens has scientific data and was collected around the British Isles.

  There are 267 specimens collected by museum staff with scientific data, mostly from the Tay and 363 specimens donated by the Dundee Naturalists Society.

  Other Invertebrates

  This collection contains about 1,000 mainly fluid-preserved specimens covering Scottish marine, freshwater and terrestrial groups.

  There are circa 2,000 Arachnids, mostly collected by museum staff during surveys in the 20th century.

  Microscopic slides

  This is a small collection of roughly 300 microscope slides of invertebrates, including 170 Lepidoptera.

  The short and long-term priorities are the continued documentation and storage improvements of the Natural Sciences Collection. New acquisitions will be made as appropriate.

  Botany

  Algae

  This collection contains fewer than 1,000 specimens from the 19th-century which need further documentation, mainly from southern England but including some Scottish material. The foreign material includes some 200 specimens from the Southern Hemisphere apparently collected in the 1860s.

  Bryophytes

  This collection contains about 3,500 specimens, mainly of British origin. It includes the 19th-century Scottish collection of G Forbes (800 specimens) and a small proportion of 19th-century foreign material of worldwide origin. The only modern specimens are contained in 250 packets collected from Angus and Perthshire.

  Lichens

  This collection contains about 3,000 herbarium packets. Most are well documented, modern Scottish specimens and comprise one of the most important 20th-century lichen collections in Scotland.

  Although not part of the City’s collection, the Collections Unit hosts the collection of the British Lichen Society (BLS) which has an estimated collection of 8,000 specimens. This collection includes several thousand lichen specimens and is a lending collection administered by a BLS honorary curator. This collection is not covered by the Collections Development Policy and few new specimens are added to the BLS collection each year.

  Vascular Plants

  Herbarium – This collection contains about 9,500 pressed herbarium sheets. Included is the UK Duncan collection with some 2,200 voucher specimens for the “Flora of Angus” and 563 for the “Flora of East Ross-shire”; both of regional importance. Approximately 1,500 pressed herbarium sheets were donated from the Dundee Naturalists’ Society. The number of herbarium sheets listed on EMu has been steadily increasing thanks to an ongoing documentation audit of the herbarium.

  Microscope slides – About 250 botanical slides of specimens donated and some from commercial sources, mostly of British origin.

  Other botanical specimens include a small collection of economic botany (timber), seeds, cones and exotic ferns from New Zealand.

  This collection is predominantly used for research, rather than display. The short and long-term priority is to continue to document the pressed herbarium sheets and to rehouse them in new purpose-made herbarium boxes.

  Fungi

  There is a small mycology collection of just under 100 specimens which consists mostly of dried fungi. More documentation is needed on this part of the collection.

  Geology

  Rocks

  This collection contains 1,000 specimens, mainly of Scottish origin. Local rock types are reasonably represented but the collection lacks adequate non-local material for comparative purposes.

  Minerals

  This collection of approximately 1,700 specimens contains a significant amount of foreign material.

  There is an important collection of agates, a semiprecious stone associated with volcanic rocks. They feature in the Landscapes and Lives gallery and the collection contains many fine examples of agates found locally and across Scotland. They account for 57% of the mineral collection.

  Fossils

  This collection contains 2,500 specimens, many of historical and scientific importance including material of national significance. Although local fossils are reasonably well represented, the number of specimens from other parts of Britain is inadequate for comparative purposes.

  There is a small collection of graptolites, mostly from the Moffat shale group from the important site at Dob’s Linn, Dumfries and Galloway.

  Also included are important Devonian period fossils collected locally (mainly from quarries), with examples from Balruddery Den, Dura Den, and the Turin Hill and Carmyllie area quarries. There is scope for collaborating with other organisations with similar regional material i.e. National Museums Scotland, Montrose, and Perth Museum.

  There are complementary Devonian specimens from other important Scottish localities, many of them now legally protected, such as Achanarras, Caithness, Tynet Burn, Orkney.

  Numerous important specimens were highlighted in Dr Sue Beardmore’s report on Priorities for Future Support and Development of Natural Science Collections in Scottish Museums, NMS Ellerman foundation.

  The Kinnaird Collection of almost 1,000 specimens from Lord Kinnaird of Rossie Priory is a collection highlight and contains notable fossil fish and eurypterid specimens from Balruddery Den. The collection was originally arranged by geologist Sir Charles Lyell of Kinnordy.

  FINE ART

  Established in 1874, the City’s permanent Fine Art Collection comprises 8,000 items and spans four centuries of production by artists working in Britain and Europe. At its core is a fine collection of nineteenth and twentieth century Scottish painting which has formed the basis of our active collecting over the last forty years. The Fine Art Collection is Recognised as being of national significance by Museums Galleries Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government.

  From its inception until the 1960s, the art collection was built primarily through donations and bequests. During the 1960s a small acquisitions fund was established, and curators were able to actively collect by purchasing work for the first time. It was believed that with the exception of three major gifts, the transfer of the entire Orchar Collection in 1987, the successful bid for some 70 works from the Scottish Arts Council bequest in 1997 and the gift of the photographic series ‘Hawkhill: Death of a Living Community’ in 2002, the ability to strategically build the collection through donations or bequests had ceased. In the last few years, this has reversed with several artists considering their longer-term legacy and seeking to place key works in the collection – notable here is the work of the Neil Dallas Brown and William Littlejohn Estates to distribute material held in the artists’ studio more widely amongst permanent collections across Scotland. Also significant is the gift of ‘The Antarctic Suite’ as a living bequest by Frances Walker, paintings which she considers the finest work of her career.

  Over the last decade, key works have been acquired which provide contemporary context for the wider collection and history of Dundee. The Antarctic Suite is a good example of this, augmenting the fine art collection but also amplifying themes contained in the history and natural history collections based on Dundee long history of Antarctic exploration. Similarly, the Outset Scotland gift of work by Corin Sworn provides context for the world cultures collections and has been shown as an intervention within our permanent gallery displays. Viewing the permanent collections through a different lens has enhanced visitor experience and we will continue to develop this approach through active acquisition.

  Active collecting, through purchase and where possible carefully selected gifts, is the only method by which the collection can be seriously developed. With no annual acquisition funds, the ability to secure grant aid from government, charitable and private sources is a key determinant in pursuing and securing major acquisitions.

  European Oils, Watercolours and Drawings up to the 20th Century

  A small collection, including work by Italian and Dutch ‘Old Masters’, mostly from

  19th-century donors and one 20th-century collector, William Shiell.

  Key artists include:

  • Abraham van Beyeren

  • Pompeo Batoni

  • Louis de Boullogne

  • Eugene-Louis Boudin

  • Giovanni Battista Caracciolo

  • Emilian School

  • Jacob Maris

  • Henri Fantin-Latour

  English Oils, Watercolours and Drawings up to 1950

  The English Collection is a fine and valuable one with works regularly selected for loan. As the collection was being established, the Fine Art Committee focussed acquiring work by artists associated with the Royal Academy. Therefore, many Royal Academicians are represented often by works featured in the annual RA Summer exhibitions.

  Key artists include:

  • Frank Brangwyn (a collection of some 250 works including 16 oil paintings)

  • Edward Burra

  • David Cox (60 pencil drawings)

  • Laura Knight

  • Edwin Landseer

  • Alfred Munnings

  • John Nash

  • Dante Gabriel Rossetti, represented by Dante’s Dream, believed to be the finest Pre-Raphaelite work in a Scottish public collection

  • Walter Sickert

  • Stanley Spencer, including a piece from his important Resurrection series

  • JMW Turner

  English Oils, Watercolours and Drawings from 1950 to Present Day

  This is a small group deriving in part from historic donations by the War Artists Advisory Committee and our ongoing partnership with the Contemporary Art Society. It includes work by:

  • Edward Bawden

  • David Bomberg

  • Edward Burra

  • Mark Gertler

  • Alan Ronald

  • Graham Sutherland

  Scottish Oils, Watercolours and Drawings from circa 1650 to 1950

  Dundee City has one of the best collections of Scottish paintings in the country. This includes outstanding single works; the Orchar Collection – the only nineteenth-century Dundee private art collections to survive in its entirety; and the best collection of work by artists of the Scott Lauder Group. The 20th-century collection has been confirmed as a nationally significant Scottish collection by the National Galleries of Scotland. Artists with a strong local connection feature prominently.

  The Scottish collection is complemented by a significant group of local interest paintings including portraits of local worthies, Provostal portraits by nationally significant artists, topography and a large collection of maritime paintings. Much of this was collected by AC Lamb, whose wider collection forms the backbone of Dundee’s Local History Centre collection.

  Key artists include:

  • Alexander Carse, represented by The Village Ba’ Game, known to be one of the earliest representations of a football match in the world

  • Stanley Cursiter, represented by a rare early work inspired by Italian Futurism

  • John Duncan

  • George Dutch Davidson

  • Willian McCance

  • William McTaggart

  • John Maclauchlan Milne

  • James McIntosh Patrick

  • Sir Henry Raeburn, including a portrait of George Paterson, an important local sitter

  • Allan Ramsay

  • Katherine Read, represented by her finest work in a public collection

  • Robert Scott Lauder & his pupils

  • Glasgow Boys

  • Scottish Colourists

  Scottish Oils, Watercolours and Drawings from 1950 to Present Day

  From the outset, the art collection has been a contemporary one built through presentations and bequests of work by living artists from Dundee’s prosperous 19th- century business community and an active collecting policy focused on contemporary Scottish work from the 1960s onwards.

  This collection focusses primarily on acquiring work by artists who live or work in Scotland. Work by artists who have a particular connection with Dundee has always been purchased. Additions from the Scottish Arts Council bequest significantly improved this collection.

  Key artists include:

  • Elizabeth Blackadder

  • John Bellany

  • Steven Campbell

  • Graham Fagen

  • Callum Innes

  • Eduardo Paolozzi

  • David McClure

  • Will McLean

  • Alberto Morrocco

  • Graeme Todd

  • Robert Orchardson

  Artist’s Prints

  The collection of some 900 prints, particularly strong in early 20th-century British, ranges from Daniell aquatints to prints by French post-impressionists Degas, Vuillard and Chagall. There is an important collection of etchings and drypoints by JM Whistler that are part of the Orchar Collection.

  Dundee is fortunate to have long had a dedicated print studio. The collection reflects this history, based first at Forebank, subsequently at Dundee Printmakers Workshop on the Seagate and now at DCA. Dundee City’s important collection is complemented by a major collection of 20th-century Scottish prints and a significant collection of Artist Books held by the University of Dundee.

  Fine Art Photography

  This is separate from the History photographic collections. Dundee was the first City to collect fine art photography purchasing two photographs by Thomas Joshua Cooper in 1985. This brave championing of artist photography at an early stage in its development has resulted in a fine collection representing many of the key Scottish-based photographers of the late 20th century. The range and quality of the collection was significantly improved with the acquisition of work through the Scottish Arts Council bequest.

  The collection includes the largest body of work by Joseph McKenzie in a public collection. All vintage prints, made by the photographer himself, ‘Dundee: City in Transition, 1964-66′ was acquired in 1990 and ‘Hawkhill: Death of a Living Community, 1965-86’ acquired in 2002.

  Since the fine art photography collection was established, photography has become mainstream and is now viewed as a legitimate medium in its own right. This has resulted in a subtle shift in focus from the collection of work by fine art photographers to include the acquisition of work by artists who work with photography.

  Sculpture

  The collections consist of about sixty pieces of sculpture, ranging from 19th-century marble portrait busts to contemporary bronzes. David Batchelor’s site-specific piece Waldella, Dundee is now synonymous with The McManus, and has become a key place-marker used to promote contemporary Dundee.

  Key sculptors are:

  • Benno Schotz

  • William Turnbull

  • Eduardo Paolozzi

  • Gavin Scobie

  • Gareth Fisher

  • David Batchelor

  New Media

  The Fine Art Collection has been built up over 150 years through acquisitions of work in the traditional fine art media of paintings, drawings, prints and sculpture. The contemporary art world no longer recognises these distinctions and increasingly boundaries are becoming blurred as the hierarchy associated with traditional media has been abandoned. Many artists work in a variety of media, rather than being associated with one. Artists also have a host of new technologies available to them.

  Through externally funded acquisition projects, we have reflected this by building a small but important collection of works in new media.

  This includes video artworks by:

  • Roddy Buchanan

  • Duncan Marquiss

  • Andy Wake

  • Pernille Spence

  • Matt Stokes

  Contemporary International Collecting

  The organisation was fortunate to benefit from membership of the National Collecting Scheme for Scotland (NCSS), which ran from 2003-2013. The Scheme made funds available for research and international travel and encouraged more ambitious thinking about the collection. Through the Scheme work has been purchased which reflects contemporary developments in visual art, provides an international context for the permanent art collection and reflects the international outlook of the programmes at Dundee Contemporary Arts and Generator Projects. It is intended that the body of work collected under the theme ‘On Reflection’ is expanded to ensure that the City’s collection reflects the wider international context in which Scottish artists work.

  DECORATIVE ART

  The City’s permanent Decorative Art Collection is diverse collection of circa 2,000 items, with much of it having been collected passively from bequests. The most significant items are in areas which have been actively collected, and in the main purchased, by focused curatorial initiatives.

  The Decorative Art Collection is Recognised as being of national significance by Museums Galleries Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government.

  At its core is a fine collection of historic Scottish silver, mainly made in Dundee but with excellent examples of Edinburgh and other Scottish provincial silver. A good collection of historic Scottish pottery was actively collected for display in the 1980s. Scottish studio ceramics have been purchased between 1970-2010. In the 1970s good quality display collections of Georgian glass and 18th-century porcelain were purchased from Bond Street dealers to show the variety and development of the media in this period. Contemporary Scottish glass was actively collected between 1980 and 2010.

  Active collecting by means of purchase is the only method by which this collection can be seriously developed. The ability to secure grant aid from government, charitable and private sources will be a key determinant in pursuing and securing major acquisitions, alongside the ability to place items on display.

  Historic Silver

  The collection comprises around 350 items, material evidence of significant economic activity in the City from the 17th century to the present day. It consists mainly of tableware with some church silver, trophies and presentation pieces. The bulk of the collection is Scottish, with the most important early piece being the Fithie Salver, two outstanding non-Scottish pieces are the Armitstead Salver, 1683 and the Doncaster Cup, 1816. The Scottish provincial silver collection is strong with an outstanding collection of items by Dundee makers. There are also several impressive pieces of Edinburgh and Glasgow silver.

  Historic Ceramics

  The Historic Ceramics Collection contains over 800 miscellaneous items. Much of it is standard household ware from the late 19th century, presented through bequest. There are several discrete important collections:

  • Satsuma ware

  • Assorted Oriental porcelain

  • Chelsea and Bow figures

  • Scottish pottery

  • Modern Royal Doulton figures, donated by the factory

  • 19th-century Staffordshire ceramics including transfer-printed ware

  Glass

  The collection consists of approximately 170 items of very mixed quality. The best of it was purchased in 1976, comprising 30 pieces of British and Irish Georgian glass 1720-1820.

  Objets d’Art and Other Assorted Pieces of Decorative Art

  This is a miscellaneous collection, numbering some 100 items. The key area is a small but attractive group of Oriental objects – ivories, lacquer and bronzes.

  Contemporary Craft

  The Contemporary Craft collection is small but includes fine examples of Scottish studio glass, including a large installation of engraved glass by Alison Kinnaird, and English and Scottish studio ceramics. Both collections were built through an active purchase programme throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

  Increasingly the boundaries between fine art and craft are becoming blurred. Many craft practitioners are no longer producing work that is primarily functional. Increasingly craft practitioners are exploring conceptual work and are experimenting with media much in the way that a fine artist would do.

  The Contemporary Crafts Collection benefited enormously from the research, travel and funding for acquisitions available through the National Collecting Scheme for Scotland 2003 – 2013. Through the Scheme the collections of Scottish studio ceramics and glass have been built up. The collection has been developed more ambitiously with a purchase of works by major English and European makers. These include glass by Colin Reid and Bruno Romanelli and ceramics by Danish makers Bodil Manz, Gitte Jungersen, Michael Geertsen, and Per Ahlmann.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2024

  Licence: CC BY-NC