A Variety of Cultures
A Variety of Cultures
Hereford Museum of Cider
This wonderful exhibition is on until 9th April 2024 at the Museum of Cider in Hereford. These exquisite models of different apple varieties belong to Kew Gardens but haven’t been seen for over half a century and have never been on show outside of London.
Made of plaster and wax, these pomaceous fruits formed part of a collection of 200 models, which were donated to the Museum at Kew Gardens by two Australian states, Tasmania and Victoria, after the International Exhibition of 1862. This 19th century exhibition was held in South Kensington on the site of the Natural History Museum. The aim of this exhibit was to promote the country’s natural resources to gain lucrative export markets.
The cost of the pome exhibit was paid for by the fruit growers from the two Australian states. We have very little information about the artists who modelled the fruits, however we do know certain models were made by Thomas McMillan, who also made natural history models for the Industrial and Technological Museum in Melbourne. The models are exact replicas of the fruit varieties they represent including details such as insect-bore holes!
After the International Exhibition the fruits were on show at the Museum at Kew. With the closure of the Museum of Economic Botany in 1987, they were packed away and stored in the Banks Building until now.