Museums around the globe are battling on social media to see who has the creepiest item in their collection. The National Museum Collection’s Manager has joined the challenge by sharing our creepiest items: a collection of teeth.
The collection was donated to the museum in 1958 by the Bloemfontein dentist Dr A. Havenga. The teeth were in most instances extracted by Dr Havenga during the first half of the twentieth century. Havenga managed to collect the teeth of some prominent individuals and they include: Pres M.T. Steyn (1857-1916), General J.B.M. Hertzog (1866-1942) and Pres C.R. Swart (1894-1982). Dr Havenga also added two of his own teeth which he extracted himself.
The Museum of Fear and Wonder in Canada explores the narrative and psychological qualities of objects. Their contribution to the #CreepiestObject challenge is an early 19 c. wax child mannequin from Germany. They tell us that the wax child was stored face-down in a heated attic for many years, flattening its features into a snout.
Elgin Public Museum in the USA has a creepy looking owl in their collection with an even creepier owner. Sharry Lynn Blazier who posted for the #CreepiestObject challenge on twitter tells us that this owl isn’t as creepy as its donor who is sociopath killer Nathan Leopold (Leopold & Loeb). He gave the Museum his birds on his way to prison.
Perhaps other local museums would like to share some of their most weird and wonderful items?
#MuseumCollections l #VirtualMuseum l #MuseumFromHome
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