The Cabinet of Curiosity

There’s no better place to see London spin a story than in its museums.

This illustration is inspired by one of my favourite places in the city; the enlightenment gallery in the British Museum. It’s a huge room revealing the world of the 18th century through the incredible objects collected by travellers during the age of discovery.

The illustration explores the wonders housed not just within the British Museum, but across London’s great museums; a city wide collection of items, all with an amazing story to tell. The objects include the famous Easter Island statue from the British Museum, the jar of moles from the Grant Museum of Zoology, Harry Beck’s incredible 1933 tube map from the London Transport Museum and the Barbary lion skull from the Natural History Museum, to name a few.

It’s a celebration of the the diverse and enthralling tales that play out through London’s world class collections, and a representation of some of the places in the city that mean the most to me.

James Round
Independent Graphic Designer & Illustrator

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