Wellcome Library Insight - From Blue Beads to Hair Sandwiches: Edward Lovett's Folklore Collection

This week's free Wellcome Library Insight explores the figure of Folkore collector Edward Lovett, whose collection lies at the heart of the current Wellcome Collection exhibition Charmed Life.

Illustrated by personal correspondence held in our archives, the session will seek to explore Lovett's motivations and methods and offer an overview of the huge array of amulets, charms and talismans collected by him during the early years of the 20th Century (the themes of the session were also discussed in a recent article on the Daily Telegraph website).

The event takes place this Thursday (10th November) between 3 and 4pm. Tickets are available from 1.30pm on the day. Please see the Wellcome Collection website for more details.

Image: Sketch made by Edward Lovett, showing districts of London where Lovett had collected blue amulet necklaces, which were thought to protect the wearer from illness (WA/HMM/CO/Ear/532).

Forthcoming attractions: Miracles and Charms talks

Last week saw the opening of Miracles and Charms, two exhibitions at Wellcome Collection - Infinitas Gracias: Mexican miracle paintings and Felicity Powell: Charmed Life - which explore faith, hope and chance.

As part of a season of events to coincide with Miracles and Charms, the following free talks will seek to elucidate the themes of the exhibition through the holdings of the Wellcome Library.

Science and Faith in the Middle Ages - Thurs 20th October, 6pm-7pm
Explore medieval approaches to science through the Wellcome Library's rich manuscript collection.

Edward Lovett's Folklore Collection - Thursday 10th October, 3pm-4pm; Thursday 19th January 6pm-7pm
Discover the world of Lovett - the inspiration for Charmed Life - through his correspondence held in the Wellcome Library.

More details on these and other related events, are available from the Wellcome Collection website.

Image: Sketch made by Edward Lovett, showing districts of London where Lovett had collected blue amulet necklaces, which were thought to protect the wearer from illness (WA/HMM/CO/Ear/532).

'London's Lost Collector: Searching for Edward Lovett and His Magical Collection'

The Wellcome Library's Ross MacFarlane will be giving a talk at the Cuming Museum, London, on Saturday 16th October, titled 'London's Lost Collector: Searching for Edward Lovett and His Magical Collection'.

Lovett was a folklore collector in the early 20th century, with a particular interest in lucky charms and healing objects. A great deal of these objects were collected by Henry Wellcome and his staff for Wellcome's collections: the Wellcome Library still holds detailed correspondence on their acquisition and some of them - such as the amuletic necklace shown above - are on show in Wellcome Collection's 'Medicine Man' exhibition.

The talk is part of a series of events to tie in with the new exhibition on the artist and occultist Austin Osman Spare at the Cuming Museum (which also holds a large array of Lovett-collected objects).

More details on the exhibition and the series of talks are available from the Cuming Museum's website.

Image: An amuletic necklace worn to cure bronchitis. Collected in Woolwich, London, by Edward Lovett, c.1914.