Scary - but not the real thing - a pottery skull from Randolph Douglas' House of Wonders. Courtesy Derbyshire County Council.
Curiosities and escapology have come to Buxton in the shape of the Randolph Douglas and the House of Wonders exhibition.
Locks, keys, restraints and other objects relating to the art of escapology feature in an exhibition at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery from Saturday May 14 2005.
These curiosities were first displayed in Randolph Douglas’ House of Wonders in Castleton, Derbyshire in the 1920s where visitors were often shown around by torchlight.
The great Houdini - also a great friend of Randolph Douglas. Courtesy Derbyshire County Council.
Douglas was a friend of Harry Houdini, the famous escapologist; a portrait in the exhibition shows the two friends together. Houdini often visited Douglas and asked for his advice on his performances.
It was through this friendship that Douglas developed his interest in locks. The exhibition displays locks made by Douglas for Houdini and used in his performances.
A model of a Shredded Wheat factory made by Douglas. Courtesy Derbyshire County Council.
A miniaturist and model maker, Douglas made the miniature working safe and a tiny newspaper on display at the museum. He also collected exotic objects from abroad such as a Persian chain mail helmet and decorated paddles from the South Sea Islands.
Derbyshire County Council’s deputy director of cultural and community services, Jaci Brumwell, said: “This promises to be a very unusual and intriguing exhibition of curiosities from all over the world."
Detail of a South Sea paddle from Douglas' House of Wonders. Courtesy Derbyshire County Council.
“We are delighted to be able to share this collection with our visitors at the museum and recreate some of the House of Wonder mystery.”
The exhibition has been organised as part Museums and Galleries Month 2005 with its theme Objects of Desire: the Art of Collecting.
Buxton Museum and Art Gallery’s Randolph Douglas and the House of Wonders exhibition can be visited free of charge.
