Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Identical sculptures of Robert Clive by John Tweed, early 20th Century. One is beside the old India Office in London and the other is in the Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata. A century later, how are they viewed? (1/2) 143
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Publication day for my article on contested statues of Robert Clive in London & Calcutta, Co-written with Jayanta Sengupta. This pic shows a plywood mock-up of the London statue, 1916. www.bloomsbury.com/uk/contested... 185
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 19/08/2026It's the summer of tittering, it would seem—and we know who 'titterers' are: people who take blood sports seriously, because they don't take anyone's life seriously enough willself1.substack.com/p/2089334077...willself1.substack.comJason Arday: J'Accuse the British MediaAfter the death of Jason Arday, Will Self asks what happens when the media machine mistakes what interests the public for the public interest. 062
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 16/08/2026I’ve been awarded the London Topographical Society’s Ann Saunders Essay Prize for 2026. My essay on London’s East India House will be published by them next year. Here’s a picture from the essay, showing Charles Fox carrying East India House on his shoulders. londontopsoc.org/about-us/ann... 1338
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 13/08/2026theartimp.substack.com/p/who-is-the...theartimp.substack.comWho is The Art Imp?Do you like my profile picture? It looks nothing like me. 000
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 10/08/2026Robert Clive meeting Jeff Bezos. Doesn’t Clive look handy! What would you call that deformed third set of digits? A clawed hand or a CLAUDE hand? @empirepoduk.bsky.social 000
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 27/06/2026Please tell me about your favourite imperialist artwork/monument in London 010
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 17/06/2026The importance of understanding colonial history… “Due to limitations in our professional knowledge, we were unable to identify potential controversies” www.ft.com/content/8243...ft.comLululemon apologises after Japanese drum controversy at Great Wall yoga eventCanadian athleisure company says it ‘should have been more cautious and thorough’ 130
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 16/06/2026Churchill deliberately starved Indians, says National Portrait Gallery www.thetimes.com/article/5957...thetimes.comChurchill deliberately starved Indians, says National Portrait GalleryA 40-minute video installation by Helen Cammock criticises a number of British historical figures including the former prime minister 030
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 01/06/2026JUST PUBLISHED! Special issue of the South Asian Studies (Vol.42.1) on "South Asian Collections in European Museums", edited by myself and Dr Shreya Gupta of the V&A. There's some amazing stuff in here. Have a look. www.tandfonline.com/toc/rsas20/4... 000
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 29/05/2026Unique, fully funded opportunity for archivists and library professionals from South & Southeast Asia. Deadline: 13 June 2026. drive.google.com/file/d/1a3mV...drive.google.comRegional Course 2026_Announcement_EN.docx.pdf 021
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 18/05/2026Welcome to Ammachi Universe! This guy makes videos of his gran in Kerala being helped by Marvel superheroes. I approve of this use of AI. youtu.be/nSYRY6jyaXIyoutu.beWelcome To Ammachi Universe | Full Part | YouTube video by SAAppAi 010
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 17/05/2026Leiden University has agreed to return this remarkable Chola copper plate manuscript to India. It was taken in the 17th Century by the Dutch East India Company (VOC). www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2026... 093
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 15/05/2026Over 2000 Jain manuscripts in Wellcome Trust’s London archives are being returned to India www.thetimes.com/article/7fa1...thetimes.comWellcome Trust returns ancient Jain texts in colonialist’s archiveThe collection has agreed to transfer 2,000 sacred manuscripts, which were under-sold by a temple in Punjab to a British pharmaceutical entrepreneur 271
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 06/05/2026I made a substack! Please read. open.substack.com/pub/theartim...open.substack.comBlind Patriotism in LondonThe Banksy statue in Waterloo Place and the contested sculpture of Robert Clive just down the road. 010
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 01/05/2026Clive statue (John Tweed, 1912) and Man Blinded by Flag & Walking off Plinth (Banksy, 2026) are a short walk away from each other, in the most potent, sculpture-studded part of London. 010
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 30/04/2026Wicked positioning! At the opposite end of Horse Guards Road is the Clive statue in front of the UK Foreign Office www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukBanksy confirms he is behind new statue in central LondonThe sculpture in central London of a man walking off a plinth while holding a flag has been drawing crowds. 020
Reposted by Dr Jennifer HowesMargot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 29/04/2026But we're still not posting our new Open Access requirements on our website (last update 24 May 2023: www.ukri.org/publications... ). For those, you'll need to be on LinkedIn. Open, innit? Not having a go at hard-pressed UKRI staff, but as open access strategy, this is both dire and unacceptable. 071
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 25/04/2026Bronze “Dancing Shiva” sculptures often feature in museums. This article by Edmond de Taillac shows how they got there. “The Last Dance of Śiva: Local Supply Networks, Colonial Collecting, and the Making of ‘Indian Art’ in Early Twentieth-Century South India” www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... 092
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 24/04/2026Why has Sanchi Stupa’s east gate been replicated in Germany? All revealed in this illustrated, OA article by Parul Singh and Shraddha Bhatawadekar Full article: (Re)creating the Authentic: Reproductions of the Sanchi Gateway in Berlin Museums www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....tandfonline.com(Re)creating the Authentic: Reproductions of the Sanchi Gateway in Berlin MuseumsThe first casts of the Sanchi Stupa gateway in India were made in the nineteenth century under colonial regime and collected by various museums in Europe, including Berlin. While these casts were s... 054
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 12/04/2026Now on BBC Radio Six, Professor Emeritus @racheldwyer.bsky.social is talking about Bollywood cinema!! 100
Reposted by Dr Jennifer HowesBirmingham 81 @birmingham81.bsky.social · 12/04/2026RIP Asha Bhosle ▶️ youtu.be/Irv2cnM_63Yyoutu.beAsha Bhosle Live 'In Aankhon Ki Masti' at BBC StudioYouTube video by Prateek Luthra 59422
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 10/04/2026First Nations Mayflower hero was sold into slavery, files in Malaga Archives reveal www.thetimes.com/article/1306...thetimes.comMayflower hero was secretly sold into slavery, hidden files revealCrumbling documents discovered in a Malaga archive expose how an English merchant used a legal fiction to sell Squanto and other indigenous captives in 1614 211051
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 02/04/2026Oh good, they found some fuel. Artemis II crew blast into orbit with historic moon launch www.thetimes.com/article/0a36...thetimes.comArtemis II crew blast into orbit with historic moon launchFour astronauts buckle in for a journey to space that will take them to parts of the moon never seen before — and could help chart a future to Mars 041
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 25/03/2026Pleased to be sharing this open access article, authored by Radha Kapuria (Durham), Shweta Sachdeva Jha (Delhi) and myself. It's the intro for a JRAS volume we co-edited on "The Travelling Female Performer in South Asia". www.cambridge.org/core/journal... 2103
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 11/03/2026Exhibition at Kensington palace on the daughters of Duleep Singh, the Maharaja of the Sikh Empire. Last princess of Punjab who saved families from the Holocaust www.thetimes.com/article/e6d7...thetimes.comLast princess of Punjab who saved families from the HolocaustCatherine Duleep Singh helped people flee Nazi Germany. She and her sisters, including a prominent suffragette, are the subject of a Kensington Palace exhibition 073
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 09/03/2026Museum of London Docklands shrouds portrait of slave trader Beeston Long to ‘reclaim Caribbean history’ www.thetimes.com/article/4d3e...thetimes.comMuseum shrouds slave trader portrait to ‘reclaim Caribbean history’London Museum Docklands partially concealed the portrait of Beeston Long, a former governor of the Bank of England, as part of its exhibition 050
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 08/03/2026“From Madras to London: East India Company artworks in the 18th century.” My lecture, hosted by the Tamil Heritage Trust… www.youtube.com/live/LzVhkb5...youtube.comDrJennifer Howes. "Madras to London: East India Company Artworks in the 18th Century". Mar 7, 2026YouTube video by Tamil Heritage Trust 060
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 03/03/2026For a limited time, you can download a free e-copy of my article, "Decolonising the Rescue Archive: Antiquarian usage of Amaravati sculptures in the British Museum". The article will be published in South Asian Studies journal later this year. Link on my website's homepage www.jenniferhowes.com 113427
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 03/03/2026Happy Holi! Painting by an artist from Vellore, 1820s. @britishlibrary.bsky.social Add.Or.66, full page and detail showing women. 041
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 24/02/2026I’m giving an on-line lecture on Saturday March 7th about East India Company artworks! Joining instructions below. 032
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 22/02/2026Great article on “Decolonising Western Museums” by Ganga Rajnee Dissanayaka www.themorning.lk/articles/QjO...themorning.lkDecolonising Western museumsLast year, I attended a major conference on museums in Europe. Decolonisation was the big topic, and every session had debates about repatriation, provenance research 053
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 18/02/2026My new article on Buddhist sculpture from Amaravati has now been published on-line! It will appear in print later this summer, in a special journal issue on “South Asian Collections in European Museums”. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....tandfonline.comDecolonising the Rescue Narrative: Antiquarian Usage of Amaravati Sculptures in the British MuseumAmaravati Stupa was the first Buddhist site in India to be systematically excavated by the British. Its first colonial excavation in 1816–17 led to 51 sculptures being removed from the site by amat... 010
Reposted by Dr Jennifer HowesKate Ozment @grubstreetwomen.bsky.social · 14/02/2026I don't think it is only our job to teach students how to read long novels; it may also be our jobs to teach them how to live without an online surveillance state. To learn without intrusive apps. To swap notes. To write in a book's margins. To exist in their communities in slow, clunky, human ways. 9508121
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 03/02/2026Late 18th Century painting of a royal hunting scene in the planes of Golconda, led by Nizam Ali Khan of Hyderabad. In the painting's top right hand corner, the famous female poet and performer, Mah Laqa Bai Chanda, observes the scene from her palanquin. g.co/arts/E8r3oEH...g.coNizam II on a Hunting Expedition - Rai Venkatachallam - Google Arts & CultureFramed painting in Deccani style with Rai Venkatachallam, the court artist, also the painter of this scene. A royal procession of Asaf Jahi ruler Nizam Ali... 042
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 30/01/2026In Kolkata, before Republic Day, Queen Victoria has a bath whether she needs it or not. 040
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 26/01/2026This marble statue of Robert Clive, the notorious East India Company soldier and crook, has become a favourite place to take photos in the Victoria Memorial Hall Kolkata. 151
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 16/01/2026Rajasthani puppets moving in procession over a sea of people, Jaipur Lit Fest 2026. 020
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 22/12/2025‘The royal charter empowered the Hudson’s Bay Company to make laws, wage war and run commerce across… all lands “not already possessed by the subjects of any other Christian Prince or State”.’ Canada’s first Christmas without the Hudson’s Bay Company economist.com/the-americas...economist.comCanada’s first Christmas without the Hudson’s Bay CompanyFrom fur-trading outpost to department-store giant, founding a country along the way 100
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 22/12/2025‘Santa and his naughty or nice list was a “western binary” teaching children that the “coloniser has the power to judge all people”.’ Santa Claus needs to be decolonised, says museum www.thetimes.com/article/046e...thetimes.comSanta Claus needs to be decolonised, says museumBrighton and Hove Museums said that Father Christmas and his naughty or nice list were a ‘western binary’ and proposed Mother Christmas to tackle the patriarchy 040
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 03/12/2025While walking past the British Museum, I saw this Amaravati sculpture, shining like a gold coin. I couldn’t access the gallery & identify it because of a power cut! But here’s a link to a similar sized Amaravati roundel in the BM’s collections www.britishmuseum.org/collection/i... 071
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 24/11/2025Dharmendra, you had a great run!! 💔 youtu.be/qRdoJJb_rrU?...youtu.beYeh Dosti Hum Nahi Todenge | Sholay | Amitabh Bachchan | Dharmendra | Kishore Kumar Hit SongsYouTube video by Koffee With FilmiGaane 020
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 23/11/2025Gold tiger head, slightly larger than a golf ball, decorated with rubies, emeralds & diamonds. From the throne of Tipu Sultan of Mysore. After Tipu’s death in May 1799 the throne was dismantled & its pieces distributed as loot. This piece is from a private collection, now on display @V&A South Ken 060
Reposted by Dr Jennifer HowesBernard Quaritch Ltd @quaritch1847.bsky.social · 31/10/2025🎃 Happy Halloween! This appropriately spooky binding comes from a sammelband of works on the guillotine, containing thirteen items on its invention, history, use, and physiological effects. 1164
Dr Jennifer Howes @jhowesuk.bsky.social · 25/10/2025I’m in Canada right now and it suddenly feels desperately important that everyone listens to this 5 minute speech from beginning to end. youtu.be/5t5QK03KXPc?...youtu.bePresident Reagan's Radio Address on Free and Fair Trade on April 25, 1987YouTube video by Reagan Library 020