British Museum

If you’re sick of period-era lesbian love stories with bittersweet endings, this one is for you ♥ Have you heard of the socialite, sculptor, and sapphic trailblazer Anne Seymour Damer? This eighteenth-century artist led a colourful life with equal measures of both scandal and success. We’re not going to spoil her story’s ending for you, but we promise it’s a happy one – read all about her life and loves at the link in bio 📚 #Pride #LesbianHistory #HistoricalBestFriends #HistoricalRoommates

🌈 A Little Gay Giveaway! 📕 We’re celebrating Pride in London by giving away three copies of our bestselling book ‘A Little Gay History: desire and diversity across the world’ Beautifully illustrated with objects from the Museum’s collection, from ancient Egyptian papyri to modern art, ‘A Little Gay History’ is the perfect way to explore the long and diverse history of LGBTQIA+ stories. To enter: 🏳‍🌈 Make sure you’re following @britishmuseum 🏳‍🌈 Tag a friend in the comments – multiple comments are allowed! 🏳‍🌈 Share to stories for another entry! #Giveaway #Pride #PrideInLondon #GayHistory

Everyone knows that the ancient Egyptians took death VERY seriously – from the earliest periods of Egyptian history, everyone was buried with at least some of the things that they thought would come in handy in the afterlife. Now it’s time to pack your bags and assemble your own afterlife kit! We’ve brought together some of the most common ancient Egyptian burial goods for you to choose from. There’s just one catch: you’ve only got twenty coins. What are you taking with you? 🛶 Canoe, 5 coins: Make sure your death is smooth sailing with this handy canoe! With this, the sun god Ra can carry you across the heavens to ensure you arrive at the netherworld in style. 📦 Shabti box, 7 coins: Dreaming of leaving your 9-5 behind you in both life and death? Well, all you need is a Shabti box loaded with little model servants to do all the heavy lifting while you sit back and relax – forever. 👁 Amulet, 3 coins: Your journey to the afterlife will be fraught with dangers. These amulets have protective spells on them but also make for some snazzy jewellery, keeping you both safe and stylish! 🪓 Weapon, 5 coins: We think this one is pretty self-explanatory. 🐱 Animal mummy, 10 coins: Can’t face eternity without your beloved pet? We don’t blame you. When your animal companion passes on, have them mummified to ensure you can be reunited with them in the ever-after. 🍞 Food, 3 coins: You’ll obviously get peckish on your way to the afterlife, so we would recommend packing a bite to eat. After all, your stomach may have been ripped out, but hunger is eternal! 🌹 Perfume, 1 coin: Concerned that you might rock up to the underworld with a bad pong? You’ll definitely work up a sweat on your journey, so consider bringing some of your favourite perfume to keep you smelling sweet on your arrival. 🏺 Canopic jar, 7 coins: Just because your internal organs have been removed (except for your heart, which must be weighed to see how good you’ve been) doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pack them with you. Use one of these handy canopic jars to keep your internal organs safe for the journey. #AncientEgypt #Afterlife #ChoseYourOwnAdventure

🏺Tap and scroll to spin this bowl!🏺 Psst... check our stories for a demo!🤫 #SpinningAround #GreekPottery #GreekMythology

You may have noticed a very colourful addition to the Museum this week 🏳️‍🌈 Happy #Pride , everyone! 🌈✨️ #RoofTimeBaby

New role who dis? 😎 We took a few minutes to catch up with our new Director, @nicholascullinan , to talk about the Museum, his summer reading list, and Crocs 🐊 #ThisOrThat

✏️ GIVEAWAY 📜 Want to draw like Michelangelo? We’ve teamed up with our friends @royaldrawingschool to bring you two live online drawing classes inspired by our #MichelangeloLastDecades exhibition! The tutor-led sessions will feature works from the exhibition and insights from the curator, allowing you to get under the skin of Michelangelo’s work. We have 5 double passes to give away to the sessions, taking place 25 June 1pm and 2 July 6.30pm BST… To enter… ✏️ Follow @royaldrawingschool and @britishmuseum ✏️ Tag someone in the comments that you to want to draw with! Multiple entries allowed! Full details of the events can be found at the link in @royaldrawingschool bio, and check the comments for T&Cs.

We’re historians – of course we’re big fans of different eras 😉 As the Eras Tour takes London, it’s time to match these artworks with their era, but #TaylorsVersion 💫 🏛 Whether you’re looking for something bejeweled, delicate, or that’s never gone out of style: the Museum’s got you covered... P.S @taylorswift : don't forget to stop by before you say ‘so long, London’! 💌 #TSErasTour #ErasTour #TaylorSwift #Swiftie

☀ Here comes the sun ☀ From a golden pendant thrown into a waterlily-studded pool in Bronze Age Shropshire to rituals performed by the Inca at the Temple of the Sun in Peru, ancient peoples marked the solar calendar with acts of ritual and reverence 🌅 Join us for a whistle-stop tour around a few of the ways that people have celebrated the awe-inspiring power of the sun – happy #solstice ! ☀✨ 📚 Hear our curator’s thoughts on sunshine, solstice, and the sacred via the ‘Museum Stories’ link in our bio. #Sun #SummerSolstice #Midsummer

Greeting the sun on the first day of summer like ☀ #Midsummer #SummerSolstice #Summer #Sun

☁ “Spring breezes and spring rains assail his lovely form... why does he seem so lost in thought, like a beautiful woman...?” 🌧 So reads the poem written above Katsushika Hokusai’s beautifully detailed and elegantly restrained silk scroll painting of a young man. It depicts a beautiful youth wearing a sword and dressed in a feminine-looking blue kimono with long, flowing sleeves decorated with white cherry blossoms 🌸 The poem is addressed to ‘young Sessen’ – the young man who is clearly much admired by the (male) speaker. The poet was likely also a patron of Hokusai and commissioned this artwork to give to the object of his affections 💌 Together, the painting and poem convey a sense of the young man’s beauty and an atmosphere of sophisticated romance and delicate passion. #Japan #Art #Hokusai #Pride

Learning from the master! In Michelangelo's time, apprentices honed their skills by copying the works of master artists and craftsmen. This age-old tradition of drawing from great art is still alive today. We had the pleasure of inviting the incredibly talented postgraduate-level students from @royaldrawingschool to our #MichelangeloExhibition , allowing them to draw inspiration directly from the master himself. You can draw too, with two live online drawing classes taking place 25 June and 2 July. The tutor-led sessions will feature works from the exhibition and insights from the curator, allowing you to get under the skin of Michelangelo’s work. Book your tickets at @royaldrawingschool_ !!re!!_039;s bio link! ‘Michelangelo: the last decades’ is on display at the British Museum until 28 July.