The Southampton History Museum opens the 2022 season with a new exhibit that combines historic photographs of people with their pets from its historic collection along with digital images of caretakers and their animal companions. Also, pet inspired artwork by three professional Southampton artists will be shown.
People living in Southampton began taking photographs of their animal companions in the 1870s and continue to do so today. Animal themed artwork and furnishings were either hand-made or manufactured for 150 years - objects in the exhibit are either donated or on loan to the Museum by local residents. A wide variety of pet themed toys, dishes, banks, pillows and doorstops from the Museum’s collection can be seen along with recent submissions of recently taken digital photographs.
