The Researcher’s View
What’s it like digging into archives to unearth the past?
Follow the research process with our guest bloggers: the academics, students, artists and others who explore our collections. Share their discoveries as they write – and rewrite – history.
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Edward Jenner: pamphleteer
Dr Rob Boddice presents the evidence for his discovery of a lost work by Edward Jenner in the Wellcome Library. Edward Jenner, father of immunology, pioneer of the vaccine against smallpox and all-round good egg, is well known for his… Continue reading
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The recent history of bovine tuberculosis
Dr Angela Cassidy shares some of the challenges of being an historian of the recent past. How to make sense of the recent past? At what point does an issue or event stop being part of today’s social fabric and… Continue reading
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Do you have a barber?
To mark the end of a month long ‘festival of facial hair’ we give you Margaret Pelling’s salute to the barber. And thanks and farewell to Alun Withey – our wonderful guest editor for ‘Movember’. (For men only – as… Continue reading
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A pogonophobe’s view of facial hair in history
Writer Lucinda Hawksley provides the seventh in our series of posts for Movember. The series is commissioned by guest editor and “pogonographer-in-chief” for the month, Dr Alun Withey. My book, Moustaches, Whiskers & Beards, a history of facial hair in portraiture,… Continue reading
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The rise and fall of the military moustache
Christopher Oldstone-Moore provides the sixth in our series of posts for Movember. The series was commissioned by guest editor and “pogonographer-in-chief” Dr Alun Withey. In 1913, the British Army faced a minor revolt within its ranks. Some officers were petitioning… Continue reading
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Civilising the hairy savage in 16th century Ireland
To mark Movember, we invited “pogonographer-in-chief” Alun Withey, to commission a month of posts celebrating the history and culture of facial hair. Here’s the fifth in the series, by Clodagh Tait. Hair was a political issue in early modern Ireland.… Continue reading
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Masculinity and shaving advertisements
To mark Movember, we invited “pogonographer-in-chief” Alun Withey, to commission a month of posts celebrating the history and culture of facial hair. Here’s the fourth in the series, by Justin Bengry. Having slept little, enjoying only a fitful and restless… Continue reading
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Facial hair in disguise
To mark Movember, we invited “pogonographer-in-chief” Alun Withey, to commission a month of posts celebrating the history and culture of facial hair. Here’s the third in the series, by Jessica P Clark. In July 1870, a sensational trial unfolded at… Continue reading
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Beards of belonging
To mark Movember, we invited “pogonographer-in-chief” Alun Withey to commission a month of posts celebrating the history and culture of facial hair. Here’s the second in the series, by Daryl Green. The beard is an outward marker of the masculine… Continue reading
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A month of pogonography on the blog
To mark Movember, we invited “pogonographer-in-chief” Alun Withey to commission a month of posts celebrating the history and culture of facial hair. Should prove to be a hairy ride! 2015 has been another year in which the beard has stubbornly… Continue reading