The London museums confronting their colonial histories

Jenn Smith's First Journey, Mississippi river towboats, and more. Email not displaying correctly? View in your browser. October 16, 2019 Jenn Smith’s First Journey Since late August, Jenn Smith has been traveling across India as the winner of Atlas Obscura’s First Journey prize. When she was a baby, Smith was adopted by a loving U.S. family from an orphanage in Kolkata. Now 37, she’d long wanted to visit her birth country, but never had the means or opportunity to make the trip—until now. Read More → Confronting Colonial Histories Both art and natural history museums have long showcased objects collected—some would say “stolen”—from faraway lands and cultures. Some London institutions, such as the Grant Museum, are starting to confront their histories by acknowledging how specimens in their collections are tied to empire, the slave trade, and other exploitative practices. Read more → Win a Trip to Turkmenistan We're celebrating the release of the second edition of our bestselling book by giving away two spots on our sold-out Turkmenistan trip in March 2020. Join our co-founders on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure, which will begin in the capital city of Ashgabat and culminate with a night camped out beside the Gates of Hell. Enter Now→ Towboat Triumphs and Tribulations Meet Carla Jenkins, who’s taken over her family-owned barge company, Vidalia Dock & Storage. Headquartered in Vidalia, Louisiana, her towboat crew is tasked with the often-dangerous job of loading, unloading, lodging, and transporting barges up and down the Mississippi. Read more → Community Bountiful Bones From the catacombs that snake their way beneath the streets of Paris to churches that are decorated with human remains, there are many magnificent (yet macabre) displays of bones all across the world. Help us discover some of your favorites. Share now → MONTREAL, QUÉBEC ‘Squirrelgoyles’ Mount Royal Chalet’s vast interior is mostly empty, but guide your gaze upwards to the elegant chandeliers and ceiling beams, and you’ll see a ceiling inhabited by dozens of oversized wooden squirrels. Read more → PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA Elfreth's Alley This charming colonial alleyway in Pennsylvania is one of the oldest continuously used residential streets in the United States. Read more → Visit AtlasObscura.com · View in Browser · Unsubscribe · See All Newsletters 61 Greenpoint Ave #622, Brooklyn, NY 11222