History of the National Museums of Scotland

Page with image of Royal Museum: [Still to come. Chantal will email image from London Illustrated News]

The Northern Athapaskan collection is part of the collections of the National Museums of Scotland and are housed in the Royal Museum (formerly the Royal Scottish Museum) in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The Royal Museum was founded in 1854 under the title of the Industrial Museum of Scotland, inspired by the widespread public interest of the period in the industrial achievements of the 19th century which gave rise to a number of major European museums.

The first director

The first director of the Industrial Museum was Professor George Wilson (1818-1859), who also held the chair in Technology at the University of Edinburgh.  He laid the foundations of collections which were intended to show the industries of the world to Scotland by drawing on sources at home and abroad. Wilson was a scientist, and he approached the task of filling his museum in a systematic and purposeful manner, issuing a collecting list to potential donors which gave general guidance on the requirements of the museum.

Hudson's Bay post at Fort Resolution. Photo by C.W. Mathers

Why are Northern Athapaskan artifacts in Scotland?

The acquisition of the Northern Athapaskan collection was part of the Museum’s (then called the Industrial Museum) search for material to illustrate products and manufacturing processes.  Through the Director, George Wilson’s brother Daniel, who was Professor of History and English Literature at the University of Toronto, the museum was able to approach Sir George Simpson, Overseas Governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company, and ask for his assistance. At Simpson's urging, clerks, traders and factors of the Mackenzie District soon began sending objects to the new museum.