Are you passionate about history, society, and making a difference? The Mass Observation Archive is looking for two dynamic, innovative, and dedicated younger trustees to join us! What is a trustee?‘Trustees are the volunteers who lead charities and decide how they are run. You may have heard them called board members or the board. TrusteeshipContinue reading "Opportunity: We’re looking for two Trustees!"
Upcoming Event: The Carl and Bobbie Letters
“Hope that these letters do outdo the ones to Miss Elliott ‘cause after marrying her, I find her even finer and lovelier than I had imagined, so with so much more inspiration I should do better.” - Carl, 4 October 1944 We are delighted to announce our upcoming event, The Carl and Bobbie Love LettersContinue reading "Upcoming Event: The Carl and Bobbie Letters"
The Joyce Spurr Collection
Since 1981, in parallel with the Mass Observation Project, MO has collected personal papers donated by individuals, including diaries, letters, photograph albums, scrap books, autobiographies and other personal and family documentation. Joyce photographed in Egypt (SxMOA99/168/1/3) One such collection is the Joyce Spurr collection. Joyce (b.1921) lived in Sheffield before and after the Second WorldContinue reading "The Joyce Spurr Collection"
Transcribing Covid-19
By Emily Warwick As a University of Brighton Masters student I have been volunteering with the Mass Observation Archives at The Keep as part of my course. The team have been incredibly welcoming and are really helpful if I have any enquiries on something I haven’t encountered it before. As part of my time spentContinue reading "Transcribing Covid-19"
Remembering our Mass Observers
In the past few months the Mass Observation team have been saddened to hear of the passing of three long-serving members of our writing panel. Writer C3603 began writing for the archive in 2005, and sent in his last Directive in August 2023. In that time he provided insight into his views on the NHS,Continue reading "Remembering our Mass Observers"
‘I collected a friend at 1pm […] to enter her beautiful painting of my now deceased pet goose into the Visual Arts event.’
What did we do on the 12th May 2024? As the Mass Observation Team, and a handful of trusty volunteers and placement students, reach the end of cataloguing the diaries we received as part of our annual diary day, we ask how did we spend it? In total Mass Observation received over 600 hundred diariesContinue reading "‘I collected a friend at 1pm […] to enter her beautiful painting of my now deceased pet goose into the Visual Arts event.’"
The Summer 2024 Directive
Summer 2024 Directive Part One - Everyday Oral Health The theme for Part.1 is a subject Mass Observation explored in the early 1940’s, dentists and dentistry. This has been a joint commission by Professor Paul Kingston and Professor Andrew Dickenson, (Chief Dental Officer for Wales), University of Chester. They are keen to hear about MassContinue reading "The Summer 2024 Directive"
Class of 1937 and 2023
On 13th June 2024, Bolton Museum launched its new Worktown exhibition - Class of 1937 and 2023. The exhibition puts Humphrey Spender’s 1930s photographs in direct conversation with new images taken by pupils from Essa Primary and St Peter and St Paul’s RC Primary Schools, working with community video production company, The Videobox. These imagesContinue reading "Class of 1937 and 2023 "
Reflecting on Recent History Through the Mass Observation Archive
Nick Clarke’s Everyday Life in the Covid-19 Pandemic and Jonathan Moss and Emily Robinson’s The Politics of Feeling in Brexit Britain This month, the Mass Observation Archive hosted a book launch for two newly pressed publications: ‘Everyday Life in the Covid-19 Pandemic’ by Nick Clarke (University of Southampton) and ‘The Politics of Feeling in BrexitContinue reading "Reflecting on Recent History Through the Mass Observation Archive"
Teaching the History of Appeasement
Mass Observation materials feature in new resources for teaching the History of Appeasement. (Day Survey 793 - Female clerk, Northampton, 24 August 1938) Professor Julie. V. Gottlieb, Dept. of History, University of Sheffield in partnership with the Historical Association have explored new ways for introducing and teaching the history of appeasement in schools. The resourcesContinue reading "Teaching the History of Appeasement"