Nature is richly represented in our collections. Trees, plants, landscapes, and animals can all be found in the myriad of drawings, writings, and photographs we hold. Whilst illustrations by E.H. Shepard might be an obvious first place to look, our dance archives also offer a glimpse of the natural world, our university archives document the local ecosystem we have fostered, and our rare books safeguard some interesting specimens. Over the course of this week we will be taking a closer look at some of the items in our collections which relate to nature, and will be inviting families to take part in activities, so be sure to check back every day for a new blog post.
Bottom-Left and Bottom-Right images copyright: Line illustrations Ernest Shepard © The Shepard Trust, 1931. Colouring of the line illustrations by Ernest Shepard © Ernest Shepard and Egmont Books UK Ltd, 1970, 1973.
Activity:
Archives are collections of unique and rare material. They provide information about a place, a time, a person, or group of people.
If you were to create an archive to represent your time spent at home whilst schools and offices were closed, what kind of items might you want to keep?
You might have photographs of yourself working at home, newspapers which talk about why we were staying at home, and even games which kept you occupied whilst staying safe. Have a go at collecting together some items, and let us know what you come up with by emailing archives@surrey.ac.uk.
