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Lily Crowther

@lilcrowther.bsky.social
833 followers 592 following 632 posts

Historian, curator, museum trustee, Yiddishe mama. Museums, craft, design, architecture, making, teaching with objects.

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Lily Crowther @lilcrowther.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Not a bad view from my deckchair for an October afternoon.
Green leafy branches against a blue sky. There is a large bay tree to the right, a cherry tree on the left with a plum tree beyond, and a grape vine winding round them all.
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Lily Crowther @lilcrowther.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I for one am ready to join the Papal brigades in the fight against the machines.
A formidable woman dressed in the uniform of a Greek evzone, and wearing a false moustache. She is Miss Cox, a 1920s collector of historical costume who donated her collection to Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum.
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Lily Crowther @lilcrowther.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Architecture/building enthusiasts, please consider becoming a Founding Friend of the Brooking and helping us bring this fabulous collection of architectural detail to more audiences!
donorbox.org
Founding Friends | The Brooking (Powered by Donorbox)
Become a Founding MemberBe a Part of the FoundationsThe Brooking houses the largest collection of British architectural detail in the world and we are working hard documenting and preserving thousands...
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The Migration Museum, London, is hiring a part-time (3 days per week) curator for a year to help build the vision of the new museum. £40k pro rata plus 5% matched pension contribution. Deadline for applications 18 October.
migrationmuseum.org
We’re Hiring: Curator, Contemporary Art (Part-time)
The Migration Museum is seeking a Contemporary Art Curator to join their team on a part-time basis. Application deadline: 18 October 2026.
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Lily Crowther @lilcrowther.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Architecture/building enthusiasts, please consider becoming a Founding Friend of the Brooking and helping us bring this fabulous collection of architectural detail to more audiences!
donorbox.org
Founding Friends | The Brooking (Powered by Donorbox)
Become a Founding MemberBe a Part of the FoundationsThe Brooking houses the largest collection of British architectural detail in the world and we are working hard documenting and preserving thousands...
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Lee West @whodat35.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Two Minnesota solar farms turned the ground beneath their panels into habitat, and native bee abundance rose more than 20-fold www.ecoticias.com/en/two-minne...
ecoticias.com
Two Minnesota solar farms turned the ground beneath their panels into habitat, and native bee abundance rose more than 20-fold
Minnesota solar farms planted with native flowers saw native bees rise 20-fold, with bees also pollinating nearby soybean fields.
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Sarah Mead Leonard @smeadleonard.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
At some point recently the Cooper Hewitt collections search moved from their website to the general Smithsonian collections search database and let me tell you, that discovery is ruining my afternoon!! Look at this object page. LOOK AT IT. www.si.edu/object/straw...
si.edu
Strawberry Thief | Smithsonian Institution
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Lily Crowther @lilcrowther.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Come and find out more about this next year at our Grassroots exhibition at Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum!
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Lily Crowther @lilcrowther.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
However long we live here, I never tire of taking this photograph.
View out of a first-floor window across allotments, with trees in the distance and the rising sun beyond.
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Lily Crowther @lilcrowther.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Our next exhibition is starting to feel real now - paint on the gallery walls, and posters going up in the wild. ‘Sustain: from the past, for the future’ opens in Leamington on 25 September. @nhm-london.bsky.social #fobp
A large blue poster holder outside a stone building.
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Jesse Locker @jessemlocker.bsky.social · 02/10/2024
This turn-of-the-century Rosh HaShanah card goes hard. The Old Year struggles in the water while the New Year stands on the shore, and a Yiddish inscription urging the old year to "drown forever already"
The Old Year, portrayed as an old man, drowns while the fresh-faced New Year stands on the shore, along with a melodramatic Yiddish inscription:
Drown, old year! Go by!
With your pain and woe,
Drown, drown forever already,
In the abyss of time!
A new year comes now
With new happiness and joy!
And the world will be freed
From grief and sorrow.
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Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Some fascinating Collaborative Doctoral Awards on offer here at the BL, including a great history of sexuality/book history/library history project relating to the Rund Collection of 19th/20thC erotic books and ephemera www.bl.uk/services/res...
bl.uk
Collaborative Doctoral Landscape Awards
Fully-funded and jointly supervised studentships across four developing research areas.
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Lily Crowther @lilcrowther.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Cat is sleeping in full pike.
A cat sleeping curled up on a beanbag.His legs are sticking straight up and he is holding them with both hands.
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Fiona McLees @mclees-fiona.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Do you know of any artist’s house or studio museums open to the public in the UK? Not the obvious ones please, or ones listed on the Artist’s Studio Museum Network website (Charleston, Leighton, etc). I’m thinking of ones like Kellie Castle in Fife, with Hew Lorimer’s studio in outbuildings
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Mikeado @mikeado.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Got two tickets for Pulp at Wythenshawe Park tomorrow going spare. £140 face value but would take £100. How many people are even on Bluesky to see this? Not shifting these, am I.
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Sean Madden @seanmadd.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
We've passively allowed the creation of a concrete and asphalt urban environment that exacerbates intense heat in the summer and precipitates flooding in the rain - both certain to worsen with climate breakdown - just to avoid inconveniencing drivers.
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
We (the fabulous Science & Technology department @ntlmuseumsscot.bsky.social) are looking for a FT fixed-term Assistant Curator. Details here: careers.nms.ac.uk/job/936922 Deadline: 6 September
careers.nms.ac.uk
Assistant Curator, Technology
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Lily Crowther @lilcrowther.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Little old man is 17 and not in the mood to get up for anyone, not even International Cat Day.
A small beige cat on a beanbag. He was curled up in a ball and now he’s cross about being woken.
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Lily Crowther @lilcrowther.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Just back from an amazing fortnight interrailing around Scandinavia. Now busy plotting how to chuck it all in and go live on a skerry in the Baltic.
A man and two kids looking out from a granite shore across the water towards lots of other forested islands.A rocky shoreline lined with alder trees, and a child paddling in the distance.A flat shoreline covered with low scrubby rose bushes, and a distant railway bridge crossing the horizon.A wide bay at twilight, with islands in the distance and a steam ferry on the horizon.
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Martin Lewis @martinlewis.moneysavingexpert.com · 23/07/2026
Pls spread word. Three digits can help protect you from scams: 159. If you're suspicious of a 'call from your bank', politely hang up and dial 159. It connects you to a switchboard that puts you through to your bank's real number. Watch the video for why its extra protection
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History Workshop @historyworkshop.org.uk · 15/07/2026
🚨We’re seeking to appoint one Editorial Fellow with specialism in pre-1800 CE history from any part of the globe. Deadline for applications: 7 August 2026. Please share in your networks!👇
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Lily Crowther @lilcrowther.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Just submitted my thesis #PhDone
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
First they came for the languages. In the hope that no one would have the words to say what was happening. 1/9🧵
bbc.co.uk
University of Aberdeen's plans to cut modern language degrees were 'rushed' - review
The University of Aberdeen says it accepts there were "missteps" in its process in 2023.
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Will Clement @historywill.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Call for chapters: "The Aesthetics of Modern Monarchies: c. 1842-1952" @livsmitch.bsky.social and I are inviting chapter proposals for a volume on the ways that global 'modern monarchies' (defined broadly) self-presented and were presented through visual culture. Full details below - please share!
Call for Chapters: The Aesthetics of Modern Monarchies: c. 1842-1952 (This volume is being
proposed as a submission to the Palgrave Studies in Modern Monarchy series at Palgrave
MacMillan)
This is an invitation for proposals for chapters for an innovative, forthcoming collection on the
connected aesthetic histories of rulers, royalty, monarchs and consorts. In 1842, the French king
Louis-Philippe I was the first reigning monarch to be photographed, with the British Prince Albert
photographed in the same year. Over a century after these first royal photographs, the aesthetics of
modern monarchies now had to contend with the advent of televisual media, which covered
moments of triumph as much as of weakness. The referendum on Belgian king Leopold III’s rule in
1950 and his abdication the following year was widely covered by the international media; just a year
later, Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth Realms was the first monarch
to have their coronation ceremony fully broadcast on television.
Between these two moments of mediatised royal presentation, this was a period of seismic change
for royalty and rulers across the world who were subject to expanding and diminishing empires, the
threat of revolutions and nationalism, the fall of dynasties as well as the ongoing impact of wars,
trade and politics. Visual culture, including but certainly not limited to photography and televisual
media, became increasingly integral to the image of monarchy as the rise of new technologies and
communications shaped the way rulers were presented and could present themselves to broad
audiences, domestically and globally. This collection will assess varied forms of visual culture
during this transitional period, exploring the ways that royalty could be defined and redefined as well
as connected on a global scale.The editors define ‘modern monarchies’ for this collection as including absolute or constitutional
monarchs, members of royal families, emperors/empresses, deposed monarchs,
ceremonial/puppet monarchs and consorts. Studies of non-European royals are particularly
welcomed. This excludes histories of recent remembrance of these royals. Chapter proposals must
contain a visual component to this study inclusive of but not limited to:
• Photographs
• Paintings/drawings/illustrations
• Prints (including newspaper print)
• Caricatures
• Clothing
• Loot
• Architecture
• Coinage
• Cinema/television
• Theatre/pantomime
• Posters
• Medals/jewels
Studies on royals are inclusive but not limited to:
• Displays of gender
• Politics and authority
• Resistance and revolution
• Charity and humanitarianism
• Nationalism
• Colonialism and empire
• Religion
• Race and racism
• Succession, coronation, and
abdication
• Scandal and public image
• Domesticity
• Modernity
• Class/poverty
Please send detailed chapter proposals of 350 words and a 100-word biography to Dr Olivia Mitchell
and Dr Will Clement at aestheticsmonarchy@gmail.com with the header ‘Aesthetics of Modern
Monarchies’ by 1 October 2026. Informal enquiries may also be sent to the editors at this address.
Contributors will be notified of the outcome by 1 December 2026 with full chapters of 8,000-10,000
words due from accepted proposals by summer 2027.
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Lily Crowther @lilcrowther.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
At least somebody’s enjoying the heat. He chooses the hottest room in the house to nap on his favourite fleece.
A cat sleeping on a fleece blanket on an armchair.
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Herbert Art Gallery & Museum @the-herbert.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
FINAL CALL | We're #HIRING 🧒 Learning and Engagement Manager 👉 Lead on the event programme delivery 👉 Coordinate projects and events, and ensure activities run smoothly 👉 Line management of various team members Closing Date: Sunday 21 June ow.ly/oWCR50Z5vsR
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John Munro @johnmunro.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Our kids would be safer if they'd banned Land Rovers instead of Instagram.
bbc.co.uk
Woman in court over fatal Wimbledon school crash
Claire Freemantle was driving the car that killed Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau outside a school in 2023.
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kay slater @kslater.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
we could be funding archival labor—staffing, storage, systems—instead of producing this garbage
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Glyn Morgan @grmorgan.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
What's better than an opportunity to join the Science Museum curatorial team working on exciting forthcoming projects? *Two* opportunities to join etcetc! We are recruiting 2x assistant curators, please pass this along to anyone you think might be interested: ce0111li.webitrent.com/ce0111li_web...
ce0111li.webitrent.com
Powered by MHR
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Lily Crowther @lilcrowther.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Remembering my first visit to Hockney’s studio in the 90s; I was interested mainly in his charming little dog. A kind man and a good friend to my father, whose advancing age is increasingly marked by the deaths of the people whose conversation he values most.
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Lily Crowther @lilcrowther.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Is anyone else getting loads of odd accounts each liking exactly three of your past replies? Obviously I’m blocking on sight but it’s a peculiar new tactic.
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Terri Windling @terriwindling.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Please read the 🧵 below and consider joining me in supporting this vital organisation. Even a small monthly pledge will help young people from working class and marginalized backgrounds access arts education, networking opportunities and careers. You can change a young artist's life.
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Claire Boardman @claireboardman.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
👀 Nice historical research role: "‘The Making of Natural History, 1797 - Present' traces the rise of natural history in Britain in the nineteenth century, as a richly interdisciplinary subject that combined field observation of flora & fauna with local history, literature and illustration."
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Amanda Lillywhite @amandalillywhite.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Currently just over 2k signatures. We need 10k for a government response. If you are in the UK please consider signing this petition.
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Leonie V. Hicks @lvhicks.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
PhD funding available #skystorians #medievalsky #heritage #archaeology 🏺📜
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Alix Dunn @alixdunn.com · 31/05/2026
Oh hell yeah @amnesty.org comes out swinging: "Amnesty International finds that standalone generative AI systems... are fundamentally incompatible with IHRL. As such, Amnesty International is calling for a prohibition of such systems." www.amnesty.org/en/documents...
amnesty.org
Unlawful by design: Exposing the human rights costs of generative AI - Amnesty International
This briefing examines how standalone generative AI systems, based on unlawful web scraping, are in conflict with international human rights law (IHRL) and standards through their design, development ...
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Museums Association @museumsassociation.org · 27/05/2026
A quick note from our friends at the Ceramics Research Centre and the Future Ecologies of Clay project: travel bursaries and free entry are available for any museum professionals who'd like to attend their forthcoming conference on 24-26 June. For more details, email ceramics@westminster.ac.uk.
Travel bursaries available for museum professionals to attend Permanence/Impermanence: Collecting and archiving contemporary clay practices conference, 24-26 June in London. For more details email: ceramics@westminster.ac.uk
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Borthwick Institute for Archives @uoyborthwick.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Sweltering in the UK heatwave?? Why not visit your Local Archival Repository! Low temperatures and humidity GUARANTEED* And we throw in the history for free😍 *by regulatory standard BS4971:2017 Archives - Where the records are cool and so are you.
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Lily Crowther @lilcrowther.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Nap time at the canal this afternoon.
Eight ducklings sleeping, all squeezed together in a row on the bank of a canal, with their mama keeping watch.
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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
We have a very exciting opportunity for someone to become our new Community Partnerships Curator! You'll lead on the co-creation of a major public exhibition, exploring and reimagining Britain’s relationship with displaced communities. Find out more and apply: jobs.reading.ac.uk/tlive_webrec...
The museum seen from the garden.
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Alex Brown 🇵🇸 (they/them) @bookjockeyalex.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
The real solution to helping historians do research is actually pretty simple: give archives more money. Money for conservation, preservation, storage (physical an digital), climate controlled facilities, and staff (paid at a living wage). You don't need LLMs, you need money.
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Lily Crowther @lilcrowther.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Register now for the Future Ecologies of Clay project conference! London, 24-26 June. Keynotes include Florence Peake, Alun Graves, Keith Harrison, Daniel F. Herrmann, Deborah Smith, Phoebe Cummings, Emily Stone, Alexandra Hodby, Hanna B. Hölling, Clare Twomey and Linda Sormin.
eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com
Permanence/Impermanence: Collecting & archiving contemporary clay practices
The three-day conference addresses how artworks in the ‘expanded field of clay’ can be made accessible to current and future audiences.
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Tannis Davidson @tannisdavidson.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Come work with us! We are recruiting for a 1 year maternity cover Curator (Science Collections). www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
ucl.ac.uk
UCL – University College London
UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
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Adam Mosley @adamjmosley.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Fully-funded AHRC PhD scholarship at Swansea University in conjunction with Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales, examining the imperial and colonial associations of their natural sciences collections. Please share widely, and get in touch if you want to know more. Closing date 22 May.
swansea.ac.uk
History and Heritage Studies: AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership Studentship (Fully Funded) in History with Museum Wales (RS951) - Swansea University
We offer a wide range of funded and fully funded research scholarships in all subject areas. Explore your options and apply now.
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Claire E. Aubin @ceaubin.com · 04/04/2026
Vessel with rodents! Vessel with rodents! Vessel with rodents!
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Lily Crowther @lilcrowther.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
This. This is how I feel as a curator right now - we’re doing all we can and we’re doing it together. We’re tired and angry but we really care about the stuff that matters.
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Tarquin 'Howling Mad' Holmes @tarquinhh.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Funded PhD opportunity working with my ex-supervisor Staffan at Cambridge; a good fit for historians of insect-human relations, natural history collections and history of science. Information session online 24 March 11:00–12:00 pm BST www.ccc.cam.ac.uk/initiatives/...
ccc.cam.ac.uk
Cambridge University Library, University Museum of Zoology and the University of Cambridge - Collections Connections Communities
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Elaine Mitchell @elaineamitchell.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
Care about the region’s archives? Opportunity to make a difference with @archiveswm.bsky.social.
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
'Talent is widely distributed in society. Opportunity is not.' If you missed this yesterday, read it today. (And if you're university staff, prod your VC to articulate the case for universities as well as this does).
inews.co.uk
I run a university - we're so much more than 'degree factories', here's what we do
Access to higher education, made possible through student loans, is the difference between opportunity and exclusion
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