Exclusive Member Preview Day of our new exhibition 'Audubon’s Birds of America'.

National Museums Scotland is a member of the Scottish Cultural Heritage Consortium. The Consortium is a Collaborative Doctoral Partnership funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

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This monogrammed ring was given by the deposed King James VII and II to a loyal supporter on the night he escaped London.

Lulu came from the only killer whale pod in the UK and was found dead on Tiree in 2016. She had the highest levels of polychlorinated biphenyls ever recorded from a marine mammal.

Wing your way to one of Scotland's top days out at East Fortune Airfield.

The first important professional woman artist of modern Scotland, Phoebe Anna Traquair was a leading figure within the Scottish Arts and Crafts movement.

It's over 40 years since Scotland's Concorde took to the skies in the first BA Concorde fleet commercial passenger flight. Don't miss the chance to get up close to G-BOAA.

The Wester Kittochside Farm at National Museum of Rural Life was owned and run by the Reid family for more than 400 years. Find out how the tenth laird and his family celebrated Christmas and New Year on the farm.

There are over 20,000 wood engraving blocks in the W. & R. Chambers Collection at National Museums Scotland. Over 7,000 of these blocks were created to print the illustrations in Chambers’s Encyclopaedia, which was first published in 1859.

Explore life in the countryside at our five-star museum, farmhouse and historic working farm.

Find out everything you need to know about visiting the National Museum of Flight.

Find out everything you need to know about visiting the National Museum of Rural Life.

The National Museum of Rural Life is open and tickets are available to book online.

Find out more about our range of initiatives to support and welcome autistic visitors.

The destruction of Hamilton Palace, the grandest stately home in Britain, was one of the greatest losses to national heritage ever to happen in this country. This is the story of how Scotland’s biggest treasure trove was won and lost.

A variety of objects relating to the life of Scotland's bard can be found in National Museums Scotland's collections.

The National Museum of Flight is open and tickets are available to book online.

From the early 20th century, the tractor helped to transformed farm life in Scotland. There are several examples on display in the collection at the National Museum of Rural Life, East Kilbride.

Acquired in 2017, this rare jewelled and enamelled locket conceals secrets which could shed new light on the Scottish Renaissance. Join us on a journey of discovery as our curators, conservators and scientists work to unravel its mysteries.

This compound microscope belonged to Charles Peach (1800 - 86), a highly respected naturalist and fossil hunter.

Join our vertebrate paleobiologists as we take a closer look at the dinosaurs which once roamed our Scottish shores.

The 1897 invasion and looting of the west African Kingdom of Benin resulted in the sale and dispersal of thousands of artworks into European and American museums.

Ellie Swinbank is Curator of Technology.

Louise Innes is a Research Associate.

Explore treasured artefacts passed down through generations, providing a personal insight into the lives of those at home and on the front lines.

Members can enjoy an exclusive preview into the world of pop artist and weaver, Archie Brennan and explore pieces that have never before been on public display.

This elaborate travelling set was made by the Edinburgh goldsmith Ebenezer Oliphant in 1740-41 for Prince Charles Edward Stuart.

This portrait of the young prince is by the renowned Venetian artist Rosalba Carriera.

Within our collections departments, our staff hold a wealth of knowledge and can provide expert advice on collections, their identification, care and management.

Carved by virtuoso ivory sculptor David Le Marchand, this set of five portraits was commissioned by George Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Cromartie, in 1696.

Satanic spell, superstitious charm or echo of Edinburgh’s grisly underworld history? We examine the theories put forward to explain the strange tale of these tiny coffins.

This harp, or clarsach, is said to have been a gift from Mary, Queen of Scots.

These rare Jacobite and British military colours were carried into battle at Culloden by opposing sides.

In our collection we have many items that have been linked to the famous Queen, but is this association fact or myth?

This box inscribed with the name of Pharaoh Amenhotep II is one of the finest examples of decorative woodwork to survive from ancient Egypt.

East Fortune Airfield is the UK's best-preserved Second World War airfield. Discover its history from its beginnings in the First World War to its transformation to a national museum.

Victoria (Tori) Adams is the Assistant Curator responsible for collections from Oceania, Africa, and the Americas.

The Research Library is our main reading room on level 3 of the National Museum of Scotland.

Why should a 19th century Scottish woman feature on a contemporary African cloth? Discover the story of Mary Slessor: missionary, magistrate and champion of women's rights.

Discover a range of paintings, drawings and pastels from the First and Second World Wars from our military collection.

Georgina Ripley has an MA in the History of Art (specializing in the History of Dress) from the Courtauld Institute of Art, London. She is Principal Curator of Modern & Contemporary design and Head of the Modern & Contemporary Design section, and primarily responsible for the modern and contemporary fashion and textile collections from 1850 to the present day.

Dr Anna Groundwater is Principal Curator, Renaissance and Early Modern History.

Rosanna Nicolson is Assistant Curator, West, South and Southeast Asia.