Grace Ioppolo, FSA

Professor Emerita, University of Reading; Director: Shakespeare, drama, manuscripts expert.🇺🇸 Rep: @doujohyou @pew_literary

[Grace Ioppolo, FSA @ProfShakespeare]

A young 18th-century student practiced penmanship by copying out names in an indenture (now @UkNatArchives) on the verso. The student eventually wrote, “Blockhead” a few times and finally wrote, “I am a Blockhead” in a neat, calligraphic hand!

[Westminster Abbey @wabbey]

Glance up when you're outside the Abbey and you'll spot these grotesques and gargoyles - including the carved figures of dragons, lions and dogs - decorating the walls and looking out across the London skyline.

Together, they've witnessed centuries of history unfold around them. We wonder what stories they could tell...

#MuseumWeek #IfObjectsCouldSpeakMW

[Larry the Cat @Number10cat]

There Is a Light That Never Goes Out

[A.A.Milne @A_AMilne]

Piglet didn’t feel very brave, for the word which was jiggeting about in his brain was “Heffalumps”.
What was a Heffalump like?
Was it Fierce?
He didn’t know the answer…
Of course Pooh would be with him, and it was much more Friendly with two.

[#WOMENSART @womensart1]

“A ribbon tied around a bomb” was the description of Frida Kahlo by #Surrealist theorist André Breton.....

[Westminster Abbey @wabbey]

This is the personal prayer book of Lady Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry VII and one of the most significant figures of the Tudor dynasty.

The prayer book is more than 500 years old, and its pages are beautifully decorated with gold leaf. On the left hand page here is an illustration of a dove, which symbolises both peace and the Holy Spirit.

You can see the prayer book when you visit our museum, The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries.

#MuseumWeek #Museums4PeaceMW

[#WOMENSART @womensart1]

Fiona Gibson, contemporary sculptor based in Llandeilo, West Wales. Her work is based on local mythology #WomensArt

[Things From the Past @pastarchive]

A 1970s barber shop style guide.

Pick one hairstyle for your next haircut — no excuses.

[Stonehenge U.K @ST0NEHENGE]

Sunrise at Stonehenge today (3rd June) was at 4.55am, sunset is at 9.14pm 🌧️

[Archaeology Magazine @archaeologymag]

Archaeologists have excavated an ancient Egyptian tomb at Heliopolis and found an enviable collection of artifacts. Among the discoveries: earrings, amulets, alabaster kohl containers holding traces of cosmetics, a copper mirror, and faience pottery!

https://t.co/lxllFKcfHy

[Sheep Daily 🐑 @sheepdaily_twt]

Pet us

[Westminster Abbey @wabbey]

Inside the Abbey's St Edmund's chapel is the tomb of Edward Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury (died 1618), and his wife Lady Jane.

Edward predeceased his wife, and she commissioned a large monument for him made of alabaster and marble. His effigy wears armour, with a talbot (a medieval hunting dog) at his feet. Jane was buried with him following her death in 1626 and her effigy wears an ermine-lined red mantle, with a griffin at her feet.

[National Women's History Museum @womenshistory]

WE'RE HIRING! 🤳 The National Women’s History Museum (NWHM) is seeking a creative, culture-savvy, detail-oriented, and mission-driven Social Media Intern.

💻 Remote, Paid
⏰ Part-Time, 20 hours/week
📆 Summer 2026
⏳ Application deadline: June 8th

🔗: https://t.co/6mozxaPJKz

[Grace Ioppolo, FSA @ProfShakespeare]

Found in Somerset: a gold Roman ring set with a finely engraved gemstone depicting the goddess Victoria driving a two-horse chariot.

https://t.co/qPVSFLuuud

[Archaeology Magazine @archaeologymag]

During a recent excavation near Enderby, England, archaeologists discovered an Iron Age shield made of bark—the only such shield ever found in Europe. Wood-based shields could be lightweight yet durable, but very few have survived to the present.

https://t.co/ioaZcnNgEV

[#WOMENSART @womensart1]

During the 2 World Wars, women in Europe used knitting for spying, including encoding messages with combinations of knits/purls...find out more in #UnravellingWomensArt the 1st @womensart1 book, along with many more wonderful and sometimes weird textile art facts....!

[#WOMENSART @womensart1]

Polish artist NeSpoon from Warsaw, known for her street art featuring traditional lace pattern imagery #WomensArt

[A.A.Milne @A_AMilne]

Roo was washing his face and paws in the stream, while Kanga explained proudly that this was the first time he had ever washed his face himself. 'I don't hold with all this washing,' grumbled Eeyore. 'This modern Behind-the-ears nonsense.' ~A.A.Milne

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

As President, I would read 10 letters a day sent to me by ordinary Americans. At the Obama Presidential Center, we’ll have some of the letters I read — and responded to — every night. I still get emotional reading them, and it’s one of my favorite exhibits.

[Alison Fisk @AlisonFisk]

Ancient Greek perfume vase in the shape of an owl, 650-640 BC🦉❤️

The Louvre, Paris 📷 by me

#OwlishMonday
#Archaeology

[The Public Domain Review @PublicDomainRev]

Happy 1st of June! Here's its entry in the beautiful Très Riches Heures, a 15th-century Book of Hours: https://t.co/hp0OjZjt2H

(Scyther to the right in pink getting into the Summer spirit... 😳)