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British Museum
British Museum, Bloomsbury, occupies the site of the old Montagu House, which was acquired in 1753 to house the library and collection of curiosities of Sir H. Sloane. These were enormously increased, notably by the purchase of the Harleian MSS, the gift by George II and George IV of royal libraries, the purchase of the Elgin Marbles, and the acquisition of Egyptian antiquities. The new buildings were erected in 1823–47, and the great reading-room, designed by Panizzi, the librarian, was opened in 1857. It closed in its familiar form in 1998, and the new British Library at St Pancras opened in November 1998.
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Cite this article
MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "British Museum." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "British Museum." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-BritishMuseum.html MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "British Museum." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-BritishMuseum.html |
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British Museum
British Museum One of the world's greatest public collections of art, ethnography, and archaeology (established 1753). Its first displays came from a private collection purchased from the naturalist, Sir Hans Sloane. Later additions included the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles. The present building by Sir Robert Smirke was completed in 1847. The museum contains several separate departments, including the Museum of Mankind, and the Department of Prints and Drawings, which houses works by Rembrandt, Rubens, and Michelangelo, as well as many examples of Oriental art.
http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk |
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"British Museum." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "British Museum." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-BritishMuseum.html "British Museum." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-BritishMuseum.html |
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