This document from the British Library archives is the eleventh volume of a series published in 1982 titled “The Transfer of Power: 1942-7,” by Editor-in-Chief Nicholas Mansergh, Litt.D., F.B.A. It is a collection of documents (interviews, meeting minutes, letters, statements, papers…etc) collected between 1942 and 1947, and encompasses a typed translation of handwritten letters and other documents from a multitude of sources. It has no letterhead, yet is distinguishable due to golden lettering titled “Her Majesty’s Stationary Office.” The paper is in surprisingly good condition, and its thick binding provides stability for any transportation and physical usage in the archives. 

What makes this document so significant is the time period in which its contents refer to, and the influential figures that it accounts, such as Gandhi, Churchill, Frederick Pethick-Lawrence, and Archibald Wavell. As a collection of all the major lines of communication documented prior to, during, and as a result of India’s rebellion and ultimate independence in 1947, this document lists primary sources of information that may be of use for scholars studying India’s movement towards independence. 

From administrative meetings to correspondence between government officials and political figures, there is evidence of careful efforts to document and eventually compile this information. One new thing discovered as a result of reading these items is the fact that former Prime Minister Winston Churchill did not approve of terming India’s partition as the Indian Independence Act. This is because he believed that the dominion status granted to India “is not the same as Independence” because a community is not independent when “its Ministers have in fact taken an Oath of Allegiance to The King.” This fact alone really demonstrates the vast cultural divide and differences in perspectives between the British Empire and Indian colonies that Mulk Raj Anand describes in his novels. 

This document from Friend’s House archives was “Women and War,” by Kathleen E. Innes written in 1934, and is a pamphlet that describes the difficulties societies face when attempting to prevent the continuation of war. The paper is a rougher, more brittle paper that carries a yellow-ish tint. The pamphlet is typed, and loosely bound with small tears throughout the thin binding. It is only around ten pages in length, yet carries quite a bit of information within each page. There are no defining features other than those already described, although it does have bits of writing on the title page stating its book number as well as a book stamp imprint referencing Friends House. 

This pamphlet places emphasis on the differing points of view between men and women, as well as their assumed responsibilities when it comes to war. It was written as a theological statement that explored an area not covered or accepted by many, and during a time where this viewpoint was often severely frowned upon. Its target audience was likely anyone willing enough to listen, with the purpose of expressing an opinion supported by Quaker groups. This opinion, beside the larger opinion that war should be avoided at all costs, is that women have a responsibility in their natural anti-war positions to encourage pacifism. 

Some may argue that the reasoning behind this pamphlet is quite surprising: the idea that most men have a natural tendency to gravitate towards war-like behaviors. It was well spoken for the author to say that all past wars have evidenced this kind of thinking, and quotes by soldiers were even referenced in Three Guineas that support this perspective. One thing, however, that challenges the common opinion was Innes’s claim that the “position of women is degraded” as a consequence of war (3). It can be argued that wars such as WWII, actually advanced the power of women, and their ability to become members of the working class. 

This document at the Black Cultural Archives was a report titled “Some Aspects of Social Policy Affecting Asian Women in Britain,” written by Geeta Amin in 1977, which examines the difficulties that many Asian women face in multiple areas, including national and local policy, the health service, and mental health. It was made of a rough, yellow-ish paper, banded together with two rusted staples. The lettering was typed in an old typewriter font, and there were no defining features on the title page. In the top right corner are the numbers 23.07, and this document was found in the file 23/01/A; 2 of 2. 

This was an interesting find in the archives, particularly in the way it described how Asian women who have immigrated often encounter challenges when adapting to new societal expectations. In a way, they have seemed to have lost their role in the family, as their husbands have gone to work and children have left to school, leaving the wife without an identity. In addition, miscommunication between Asian women and professionals in the healthcare field often led to failure to correctly treat illnesses and aid ill children. 

The message and theme of this report is very similar to a novel called “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down,” by Anne Fadiman. It highlights the struggles created by differing cultures and lack of communication when analyzing Hmong American refugees adapting to life in Merced, California. Similar to the statements gathered in this material, these narratives describe the difficulties that arise when American nurses and doctors don’t attempt to bridge the understanding gap between them and their Hmong patients. The issues found within the pages of this archival document are an imprint of the history that still remains present to this day, and reveal the steps towards change that have been made since then.

This archival document from Cambridge University archives is a manuscript to a clever, humorous play called “War and Peace” that guides readers through the contests of Violence and Futurist as characters in the story. This manuscript was made of thin, pale colored paper that looked like it could have been torn with a single burst of wind. Although it was typed, because it was the original version, it was covered in corrections, underlines, and other markings that demonstrated its originality. On the front, there is an incomprehensible signature, likely the author of the manuscript. 

Though this play seems at first glance to be very charming and easygoing, many of the conflicts, conversations, and behaviors are actually referring to real-life occurrences that existed before the first world war, and were never to be resolved even after the Great War. One particular quote by this document that really makes one contemplate war in a certain way. Peter was having a conversation with Violence, who was saying that war was the solution to a multitude of things including irreligion. When Peter asked Violence how that is so, Violence replied, “Haven’t you learnt, in all these years, that War’s the only thing that keeps religion going?” (8). Although this play may be written in a lighthearted tone, it really has some gems of philosophical truth in it. The fact that a statement like this written over 100 years ago still holds true to this day is mind blowing. 

Readers who do not dive into this manuscript with an open mind may miss out on the deeper meanings the first time around. This is similar to watching a true crime or detective movie over again: hidden details are uncovered that hadn’t been noticed in the beginning. This is why scholars are constantly discovering new things each time they dig into the archives, pulling out gems of knowledge each time they dive back in. 

At the Women’s Library archives was a selection of black and white photographs that were chosen to demonstrate women confrontations with the police during women’s suffrage protests. The paper the photos are made of are thin, brownish photo printouts, and evidence of tears at the edges can be seen in most photos. Fortunately, the photos are being preserved within the protection of plastic see-through folders, so that they may not be further torn or damaged with use. On the backsides of most photos show the photographers’ names and out of which institution they were printed. 

Most of the photos seen here illustrate the numerous and common arrests made by British police forces when suffragettes attempted to protest for women’s rights. They were likely taken by photographers hoping to capture these moments in history, both fighting for and against the movements. As the common saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” and it is obvious that one can understand more about the events and protests simply by examining these photos than by reading about them. 

In one photo, a suffragette is being led away by two policemen, whilst being crowded by sneering men on either side. It clearly shows the expressions of hatred of the men on either side of her—a sight that can only be seen through an image. In another photo, a band of women wearing all fluffy, white clothes marches down the street, supervised by a single male policeman. Unlike the previously described photo, the feeling of power and defiance shows through this image and fills the viewer with a deeper understanding of the passion loaded within these historical events. However, although a picture like this answers dozens of questions, a dozen more take their place and leave the viewer filled with a hunger for knowledge even more than when they set their eyes on it. 

This document from the digital archive collections of the Industrial War Museum is a painting called “The Death Cart.” It was painted by Edith Birkin, and is a depiction of the Lodz Ghetto, the second largest Ghetto established to house Jews in a German-occupied Poland. In it, people are carrying what look like bodies wrapped in white blankets into carriages with somber looks of sadness and pain. My impression is that the author intended to paint a history of atrocities on canvas by portraying the gloomy, depressing ghetto in her painting.

In the label of this painting, I was informed that the Lodz Ghetto actually turned into a major industrial center that served as a supply check for the Germans. The town of Lodz actually had the second largest Jewish population in Poland, and so it was quite an effective attack on the Jewish community when the Nazi’s were able to maintain control over it. I also learned that the artist of this painting was actually rounded up in the Lodz Ghetto, and was liberated from Auschwitz! She lived to be 91 years old, and recently passed away in 2018. 

The quote I chose was, “The historian…use[s] the archives as a vantage point from which she [they] can bring to light new forms of knowledge that would otherwise have remained shrouded in obscurity” (54). Being able to access the digital archives of the imperial war museum shined light on the endless amounts of information I can grasp with just the click of a button. Something as seemingly simple as a painting pulled me into a rabbit hole that helped me learn things I would never have considered researching. It is this sudden jolt of unexpected surprise that makes me appreciate my position as a scholar, as well as the power of unceasing curiosity in pursuit of knowledge. 

These historical artifacts found during our exploration of the British Museum demonstrate a male-dominated history. Here, we were introduced to a multitude of collections from numerous time periods and empires. Pottery, statues, pieces of scripture, ancient clothing, helmets, mummies, coins, and jewelry lined up behind the glass of dozens of shelves. The dim, golden lights shone down an atmosphere of curiosity over the archaic items and forced us to ponder upon our immateriality in the book of history. 

I wanted to choose a quote from Virginia Woolf in her essay, “A Room of One’s Own,” published in 1929. In this essay, Woolf writes through the character Mary visiting the British Museum, and says “When, however, one reads of a witch being ducked, of a woman possessed by devils, of a wise woman selling herbs, or even of a very remarkable man who had a mother, then I think we are on the track of a lost novelist, a suppressed poet….” In this statement, Woolf speaks of the women in the past that were not written into the history books, the women who were pushed aside in favor of the men who took the headlines. I thought this was an interesting thought to consider as I think over my experience back in the museum. Looking back, it’s difficult for me to recall seeing any statues or paintings of any women; even history in the museum was dominated by men.

I certainly learned a lot from my time at the British Museum. For starters, I learned that ancient Mesopotamian kings would record their military achievements in stone octagonal prisms, to be read by the gods. Stories and other “books” of knowledge were also edged in flat stones in tiny lettering, and stored in makeshift shelves. These were the first libraries ever made. I also learned the interesting fact that ancient Egyptians thought that people with dwarfism had special qualities such as fertility, and many figurines of them were created as intermediaries with the gods. 

On January 11th, 2023, we were able to visit the Sigmund Freud Museum, the home of Sigmund Freud from 1938 until his death in 1939. Freud’s bedroom was kept in the exact same form and structure that it had been in Vienna before his escape, and it consequently embodied a certain aura of intimacy. Even just the sight of Freud’s dainty little spectacles on his desk made me amazed at how well preserved his belongings had been kept, and seeing his couch made me ponder just exactly how many minds he impacted sitting there. 

One quote from Virginia Woolf that struck me as especially revealing was in her book published in 1972 titled “Moments of Being,” where Woolf describes her “obsessive” feelings to her mother prior to deciding to write her novel. In writing said book, Woolf stated “I suppose I did for myself what psychoanalysts do for their patients. I expressed some very long felt and deeply felt emotion. And in expressing it, I explained it and then laid it to rest.” This quote strikes me as particularly interesting as it can related to art therapy and the Bloomsbury Group in general. It is common knowledge that many Virginia Woolf struggled with mental health issues, and, just as Woolf describes the therapeutic effects of her writing, many members of the Bloomsbury Group may have used their artistic capabilities as a method of therapy as well.  

I learned so many things in this presentation that defined and refined Freud’s theories and philosophies. One such theory of course is one thing that makes Freud so famous (and also so frowned upon)—the Oedipus complex. The way the presenter described this theory made it seem as if most of the world was taking his theory at its face value, and looking past the bigger picture. We were informed that it simply means that one party may host ill feelings of jealousy towards a third party when that third party has seemingly interrupted the original partnership. In other words, people will feel anger and jealousy when they have not been given something that they feel they deserve.