Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Boar and Bear Hunt Tapestry (c. 1425-1430)
Trajan's Column Casts
Islamic Art
Shiva Nataraja (12th Century)
Tippoo's Tiger (1790s)
Fashion Galleries
Raphael's Tapestry Cartoons
British Galleries
Jewelry, Theater, Silver, and More
With one of the biggest, most eclectic collections of objects anywhere, the Victoria and Al-
bert (V&A) has something for everyone. It bills itself as a museum for the decorative arts,
and Martha Stewart types will be in hog heaven. You'll see furniture, glassware, clothing,
jewelry, and carpets from every corner of the world. Throw in historical artifacts, a few
fine-arts masterpieces (painting and sculpture), and a bed that sleeps seven, and you have
a museum built for browsing.
The V&A grew out of the Great Exhibition of 1851, that ultimate celebration of the
Industrial Revolution. Now “art” could be brought to the masses through modern tech-
nology and mass production. The museum was founded on the idealistic Victorian notion
that anyone can be continually improved by education and example. After much support
from Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, the museum was renamed for the royal couple,
and its present building was opened in 1909.
