Donate an object

We welcome donations and bequests from members of the public. We are especially interested in American material made before 1860.

Any offers to donate objects to the museum must be made in writing. For reasons of security and public accountability, we are unable to accept objects brought into the museum and offered ‘over the counter’.

If you have something that you think would be a valuable addition to the collection, please contact the Chief Curator. When contacting us about an object it is helpful if you provide as much information about the item as possible, such as what size it is, when it was made, where, and by whom.

Due to restraints on our storage and display spaces, we are unable to accept everything that is offered to the museum. We have a collections policy that restricts the items that we can and cannot accept. Each object is carefully considered to ensure that, if accepted, the museum is the best place for the object to be.

We do not accept loans, unless an object can be used in a specific temporary exhibition. In the event that we wish to borrow an object for this reason, the loan would be for a fixed period.

More information about how to donate an object can be found here.