About the online collection
The Collection Database online
Welcome to the Manchester City Galleries online collections database. We have now completed our retrospective documentation program to create a database record for all of the works in our collections. Records are constantly being added and updated to improve the information that we have available.
The records from the collections include everything from Pre-Raphaelite paintings to buttons, and lots of unexpected things in between such as photographs of Suffragette protests, arms and armour, and stuffed frogs.
The information in the database is used to support curatorial and research work and as such the terms and terminology used to describe objects are specialised due to the nature of this work. Personal information and object valuations are restricted for internal use only.
The collections and documentation team have been working for many years on the database to make collections information available online. This is a long-term project that requires significant time and resources to provide accessible information and keep it up to date with the latest technological developments and public expectations.
The database contains records for 175,000 objects. Some records will contain information about discrete collections, such as the 100,000 buttons that we have at Platt Hall Gallery of Costume. Equally, only one record may be created to record information for objects such as tea services or sets of chairs. We currently publish 30,000 records in total to our website; of these around 13,000 records currently have an image.
Many staff and volunteers have worked on this project over the years and Manchester City Council, The Designation Challenge Fund and the Getty Archives Fund have supported this work. We would like to express our gratitude to all of those who have contributed to this ongoing project.
Further information
For further information about the documentation project and the online collection, please contact John Peel, Collection Information Officer:
Tel: +44 (0) 161 235 8892
Email: j.peel@manchester.gov.uk
