Steam & speed: Industry, power & social change in 19th-century Britain
The emergence of Britain in the Victorian period as the world's most powerful trading nation was the direct result of the process of industrialisation that had transformed …
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Industry, Religion and the British Empire
The mid-Victorians were convinced that their way of life was not only better but also quite unlike that known by their predecessors. The birth of industrialism, discoveries…
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Trade beads
The long history of trade between Africa and Europe is reflected in a collection of glass beads held by the V&A. These beads were known as 'trade', 'aggry' or even 'slave' …
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The Victorian vision of China and Japan
The myth of the exotic East has always been a potent one in the West, fuelling such images as Coleridge's 'stately pleasure domes'. By the time Victoria came to the throne …
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National Art Library trade catalogues collection
The National Art Library holds numerous examples of trade catalogues within its collections. The earliest items in the collection date from the 1760s, when the first true m…
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The Book of Trades (Das Ständebuch)
The Book of Trades was published in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in 1568, with text by Hans Sachs (1494–1576) and illustrations by Jost Amman (1539–91). It features detailed…
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A gift in your will
You may not have thought of including a gift to a museum in your will, but the V&A is a charity and legacies form an important source of funding for our work. It is not just the great collectors and the wealthy who leave legacies to the V&A. Legacies of all sizes, large and small, make a real difference to what we can do and your support can help ensure that future generations enjoy the V&A as much as you have.
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Knitting: Fashion, Industry, Craft
In this fascinating book, Sandy Black charts the development of knitting, from domestic handcraft to one of the most sophisticated computer controlled…
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