Gift Book, Leicester Colleges of Art and Technology

Record of gifts, loans and other services rendered to the Leicester Colleges of Art and Technology. The volume records first donations to the Art School (later College) and then, from the middle of the volume, donations to the Technical School (later College). The names of the donors and the nature of their donations are recorded along with the month and year. The gifts given demonstrate the breadth of teaching at the Schools, and the reciprocal relationship they enjoyed with local industry and businesses who provided materials and equipment. Prominent local individuals are also mentioned, such as Harry Peach, William Keay and Annie Clephan.

The gifts given demonstrate the breadth of teaching at the Schools, and the reciprocal relationship they enjoyed with local industry and businesses who provided materials and equipment. Examples of gifts include art and crafts supplies and equipment; building trade and decorating supplies such as bricks, lime, paint, wallpaper and varnish; reproduction art works; books and journals; money for prizes; casts and animals for life drawing; sanitary appliances for the Plumbing Department; electrical apparatus; hosiery and textiles machinery; flour, margarine and chocolate for the Baking classes; botanic specimens; footwear specimens and materials; dyes and solvents; pharmacy apparatus; anatomical models; visits and tours of industrial premises; diagrams and technical drawings; and a 10 gram sample of 'heavy water' from Norsk Hydro Elektrisk Kvaelstofaktieselskab, Oslo, Norway.

The Leicester School of Art and the Leicester Technical School merged in 1897 to form the Leicester Municipal Technical and Art School, managed by the Education Committee of the Town Council. In 1919 the School was restructured and renamed the City of Leicester School of Arts and Crafts, and the City of Leicester Technical School. In 1925 these were renamed to the City of Leicester College of Arts and Crafts and the City of Leicester College of Technology; while in 1929 they reached their final version as the Leicester College of Art and the Leicester College of Technology. The two Colleges were never entirely separate, sharing building space and run by the same Committee, although they had separate principals and staff. In 1969 they re-merged to form the City of Leicester Polytechnic, which itself became De Montfort University in 1992.

The aim of the Colleges in their early years was to provide skilled workers for local industry. Subjects taught around the dates this gift book was compiled included architecture, building crafts, industrial design, printing and book production, silversmiths' work and allied crafts, pottery, dress design, draughtsmanship and painting, boot and shoe manufacture, hosiery and textile manufacture, chemistry and dyeing, pharmacy, physics, mathematics, engineering, biology, commerce, languages and industrial and commercial administration.

Available for general access. External researchers are advised to make an appointment with the Archivist.

Part of the institutional archive of the University.

Catalogued in May 2013 by Katharine Short, Archivist.