New Research from Museum Stavanger published in the Norwegian Museum Journal 1-2018

Hege Stormark and May Tove Nyrud at Museum Stavanger has written the two articles in this issue of the Norwegian Museum Journal

Newspaper illustrations never exist in a visual void, but are part of a greater context of visual culture and history. Nyruds article "Newspaper illustrations in Stavanger 1893–1940" explores how especially raster photography was applied in Stavanger 1893–1940. How did the use of illustrations and the newspapers’ visual expression develop, and how did this practice relate to the development in the rest of the country, and the development in other visual culture in Stavanger in the same period? Using the local newspaper Stavanger Aftenblad as the main case this article points out some traits in the use of illustrations in its editorial and advertising matter, and what this can tell us about the humans and society surrounding the newspapers at that time.

Heg Stormarks article "The place of children as visitors in Norwegian museums from the 1950s until today" analyses the place of children as visitors in Norwegian museums. The methodology adopted was to go through the specialist journal Museumsnytt for each decade, from the first edition in 1951 up to the end of 2017, to document trends in the development of the representation of children in the journal. The finds from the journal were then used as a basis for evaluation of the ways museums have related to children. The place of children as visitors is evaluated against the general changes in attitudes towards children as citizens, as they appear in historical research about children. Theories about the changes in the role of museums have also been considered in the analysis. The article shows the trends in the development. The segment of the public represented by children has moved from a passive to an active role. They have become participants and now have a more natural place in the museum, similar to that of adults. Children and adults have drawn closer to each other, and children as visitors have become a group as important as adults.

You can read the articles here: https://www.idunn.no/norsk_mus...

Anne Tove Austbø