Sir Eric Maclagan
Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum 1924-45

Maclagen entered the V&A in 1905 with a spell first in the Textile Department and later in Architecture and Sculpture. As director for 21 years he was responsible for many things including his influential 'Catalogue of Italian Sculpture' which he produced with Margaret Longhurst who was later to become the first female Keeper of any department in the V&A (Architecture and Sculpture). He was responsible for realising that the general public had and increasing interest in the V&A and instigated a series of reasonable 6 penny guides and the influential 'object of the week' (often printed in the Illustrated London News) placed in the Cromwell Road entrance. An idea that was later copied by the National Gallery during the Second World War.

Many of Maclagan's memos feature in the V&A's archives at Blythe House, he was obviously very involved in the protection of the V&A and it's objects during the Second World War. It is said that he also slept over night at the V&A when the blitz was at its worst, taking control of the fire crews and helping to protect the building and the objects that were left. Much of his correspondence particularly with Sir Kenneth Clarke (Director of the National Gallery) was to do with the protection of the Raphael Cartoons that remained on the V&A site for the entire War.

Maclagan was personally to have a difficult war. His wife Helen Elizabeth died of an illness in 1942 and his son, a pilot in the Rhodesian Air force was killed in action over Germany.

Maclagan retired in April 1945 leaving the re-arrangement of the V&A's returning objects to his successor Sir Leigh Ashton. However, many of the ideas for the re-display of the V&A had been suggested by Maclagen before the War and acted upon by Leigh Ashton.

Sir Eric Maclagan died in 1951.