Letters to Dr William J. Russell F.R.S.

Correspondence of and letters collected by Dr Alexander Scott, 1851-1935.

Dr Alexander Scott, latterly Director of Scientific Research at the British Museum, was educated at Selkirk Academy and Edinburgh University where he graduated B.Sc. in Experimental Philosophy in 1875. After moving to Cambridge as assistant to the Jacksonian Professor in 1875, he graduated B.A. Honours (1st class) in Natural Science in 1879 and M.A. in 1882, and gained his doctorate in 1884. From 1896 to 1911 he was Superintendent of the Davy-Faraday Research Laboratory of the Royal Institution. During this period he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, in 1898. After working in his own laboratory for some years he was appointed, in 1919, to "conduct an enquiry into the condition of objects at the British Museum". He retired from the post in 1938. He was very active in the Chemical Society most of his working life and between 1899 and 1924 held the posts of Honorary Secretary, Treasurer, Vice-President and President between 1899 and 1924. Dr Scott also made a great contribution to the problem of art and archaeology by discovering and publishing methods of treatment for exhumed material. In the winter of 1923-1924 he was consulting chemist at Luxor, in devising methods of preserving the objects from Tut-Ankh-Amun's tomb.

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Dr Alexander Scott, latterly Director of Scientific Research at the British Museum, was educated at Selkirk Academy and Edinburgh University where he graduated B.Sc. in Experimental Philosophy in 1875. After moving to Cambridge as assistant to the Jacksonian Professor in 1875, he graduated B.A. Honours (1st class) in Natural Science in 1879 and M.A. in 1882, and gained his doctorate in 1884. From 1896 to 1911 he was Superintendent of the Davy-Faraday Research Laboratory of the Royal Institution. During this period he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, in 1898. After working in his own laboratory for some years he was appointed, in 1919, to "conduct an enquiry into the condition of objects at the British Museum". He retired from the post in 1938. He was very active in the Chemical Society most of his working life and between 1899 and 1924 held the posts of Honorary Secretary, Treasurer, Vice-President and President between 1899 and 1924. Dr Scott also made a great contribution to the problem of art and archaeology by discovering and publishing methods of treatment for exhumed material. In the winter of 1923-1924 he was consulting chemist at Luxor, in devising methods of preserving the objects from Tut-Ankh-Amun's tomb.

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This collection of letters originally belonged to Dr Alexander Scott. After his death Dr H.J. Plenderleith, who had worked with Dr Scott and was one of his executors salvaged the file of letters amongst other material (most of which was given to the British Museum) and later passed the file over to Professor Walsh of the University of Dundee (c.1950).

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