Friday 23 November 2012 to Sunday 7 April 2013
National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
Press view: Thursday 22 November 2012, 11.30am to
1pm
Raising the curtain on a national celebration of the 200th
anniversary of Livingstone’s birth (19 March 2013), the exhibition
of around 100 objects draws together a wide range of artefacts,
documents and artworks with a personal connection to Livingstone in
one place for the first time.
This exhibition traces his life story from humble beginnings to
national hero. From his early working-life in a cotton mill
to studying medicine and divinity and becoming a missionary in
Africa, as well as the legacy which has led to strong modern-day
links between Scotland and Malawi.
Livingstone had a vision to end the slave trade and to open up
Africa to Christianity and lawful commerce. He was the first
European to cross Africa from west to east and whilst he made few
converts to Christianity, his success as an explorer and his work
as an abolitionist secured for him a lasting reputation.
Livingstone himself collected material for the collections of
what is now National Museums Scotland, and examples on display will
include a weaving loom, mineral samples and African artefacts. As
well as objects from National Museums’ own collections, there will
be loans from a wide range of institutions, including the David
Livingstone Centre, the Royal Geographical Society, Glasgow Museums
and the National Library of Scotland and private individuals.
Highlights include the hats reputedly worn on the occasion of
the famous meeting between Livingstone and Henry Morton Stanley,
the journalist working for the New York Herald, who tracked across
Africa in pursuit of the missing Scot and, on finding him, uttered
the immortal phrase which gives the exhibition its title. There
will also be the tools of his trades, both as a missionary and an
explorer. Poignant evidence of Livingstone’s first-hand observation
of the slave trade that he so vehemently opposed is seen in the
form of collars and chains that he himself removed from African
slaves.
Sarah Worden, Curator of African Collections at National Museums
Scotland said,
“Through Doctor Livingstone, I Presume? we’re
delighted to bring a new focus to the man, the myth and his legacy.
This exhibition brings together exciting new research, National
Museums’ spectacular African collections, and Livingstone’s
personal possessions to recount some of the epic exploration and
achievements which led to his rise to celebrity in
Victorian Britain.”
National Museums Scotland is working in partnership with
National Museums of Malawi with the support of the Scottish
Government on a project which will see knowledge and skills
exchange between the two organisations and will lead to further
collaboration on a special David Livingstone display in Blantyre,
Malawi in 2013.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a programme of events and
talks, and a publication featuring fascinating new research by a
range of international scholars will be published by National
Museums Scotland Enterprises to complement the exhibition.
Notes to Editors
1. National Museums Scotland is one of the leading museum groups
in the UK and Europe and it looks after collections of national and
international importance. The organisation provides loans,
partnerships, research and training in Scotland and
internationally. Our individual museums are the National Museum of
Scotland, the National Museum of Flight, the National Museum of
Rural Life, the National Museum of Costume and the National War
Museum. The National Museums Collection Centre in Edinburgh
houses conservation and research facilities as well as collections
not currently on display.
2. The Year of Creative Scotland began on January 1, 2012 and
spotlighting and celebrating Scotland’s cultural and creative
strengths on a world stage. Through a dynamic and exciting
year-long programme of activity celebrating our world-class events,
festivals, culture and heritage, the year puts Scotland’s culture
and creativity in the international spotlight with a focus on
cultural tourism and developing the events industry and creative
sector in Scotland. More information about the programme can be
found at: www.visitscotland.com/creative
The Year of Creative Scotland is a Scottish Government initiative
led in partnership by EventScotland, VisitScotland, Creative
Scotland and VOCAL.
10 September 2012
For more information or images, please contact Bruce
Blacklaw, Tel 0131 247 4165, 07789 615 227 or email b.blacklaw@nms.ac.uk