The World Cultures collection was largely amassed during the Victorian period corresponding with a period of growth and expansion in the British Empire. Britain was exerting economic and political power by developing colonies in areas such as Africa, India and North America. The empire was so far- reaching the famous phrase ‘the sun never sets on the British Empire’ was used to describe it.

Some of the individuals who held privileged positions travelling and trading in colonised countries also used their position to further another Victorian pastime: the collecting of curios. Curios were objects that were rare, exotic or valuable. They included wonders of the natural world, valuable works of art and cultural objects from far flung places.

The imbalance of power between coloniser and colonised led to objects being taken from their places of origin with no regard for the impact or ethics of such action. This left a legacy that endures to this day and raises questions around how we interpret these objects, how we share the narrative around Victorian collecting practices, and whether some of these objects belong back in their native countries.