Eccentric Englishmen and their whims

Englishmen of the Victorian era were renowned for their fascination in collecting things. John Gayer-Anderson from Suffolk was a good example. He was a British Army officer who was in Cairo and fell in love with Egypt. He began a collection of "bits and pieces" and in the 1930's incorporated it into two houses next to a Mosque. This was left as a bequest to the people of Egypt. In this collection there were some outstanding examples of mashrahiyya screens that were designed to allow to see out but prevent people seeing into them. Why? Well people were not allowed to see the women of the family. Some of the more quirky collections included a selection of birthing chairs for women in labour, broken ears, hands and beards from pharaonic statues, wooden clogs to walk to bath houses, wash basins, and exquisite mother of pearl inlaid chairs. This museum with no one theme held a surprise in each turn of the rabbit warren. The reproduction bust of Nefertiti was a good example.