Author Archives: Mass Observation Archive

‘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 diariesContinueContinue 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 MassContinueContinue 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 imagesContinueContinue 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 BrexitContinueContinue 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 resourcesContinueContinue reading “Teaching the History of Appeasement”

Meet the Mass Observers

Interview with Clare, J7229 Ever since its inception Mass Observation has relied on volunteers writing down their thoughts, feelings and experiences to help record everyday life in Britain. Without our writers, our Mass Observers, Mass Observation simply doesn’t exist, especially in its current form. Yes! We are still going! In fact, there are currently 500ContinueContinue reading “Meet the Mass Observers”

Meet the Mass Observers

Interview with T5672 In this new series we’ll be sharing the stories of the people that make the Mass Observation’s project possible, our writers, also known as ‘Mass Observers’. The Mass Observers are volunteers who give their time to share their thoughts, feelings and opinions with the archive. Some writers contribute over decades and someContinueContinue reading “Meet the Mass Observers”

“I am not Interested in the Coronation”: Similarities and Dissimilarities in Mass Observation’s 12th May Diaries from 1937 and 2023

By Emily Calcraft Introduction On 12th May 1937 a Day Survey Respondent from Oldham stated: ‘I am not interested in the Coronation and regard all the fuss as artificial and irrational’. In May 2023, the Coronation of Charles III led to a media frenzy that stirred up the ‘culture wars’, between Royalists and Republicans; theContinueContinue reading ““I am not Interested in the Coronation”: Similarities and Dissimilarities in Mass Observation’s 12th May Diaries from 1937 and 2023”