Objects and stories

Explore our collection beyond the museum floor and find out the fascinating histories behind even the smallest objects.

Objects and Stories aims to give you better access to this world-class Museum through our ever-expanding digital resources. Search for over 250,000 objects and archives in Collection Online, take a look at our curator's highlights below, and discover unique and compelling stories—from objects that have changed our world to the intriguing personal histories that lie behind them.

New stories

Epidemics

Read more stories about how epidemics have affected people and places around the world.

A cyanotype of 'Polysiphonia violacea' from 'Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions', made by Anna Atkins (1799-1871) in 1843.

Meaningful matter

Artists and scientists use the same visual tools, such as drawing and photography, to understand the unseen or previously incomprehensible. However, their interpretations have not always agreed.

The Age of Plastic: From Parkesine to pollution

It's almost impossible to imagine a world without plastic—when was this wonder material first produced, and how has it affected our planet?

Explore by topic

Medicine

From mental health to epidemiology, discover the people and events who have shaped medicine as we know it today.

Chemistry

Delve into stories of how experimentation and innovation in chemistry affects the world around us.

Computing

Explore some of the key moments that have shaped our computerised modern world.

Mathematics

With stories spanning the centuries, discover how mathematics connects to every aspect of our lives.

Series

Space

Explore stories of the developments in science and technology that took humans into space and onto the surface of the Moon.

Two female switchboard operators at work at Enfield telephone exchange, 1960

Communication

Discover the incredible technologies and feats of engineering that paved the way for communication as we know it today.

Robots

Explore the 500-year story of humanoid robots and the scientific quest to understand what it means to be human.

Science City: London 1550 - 1800

Between 1550 and 1800, science changed profoundly. Our understanding of the world around us was transformed by scientific discoveries.

More ways to explore our collection

SMG Journal

The Journal presents the global research community with peer-reviewed papers relevant to the work of the Science Museum Group.

Science and Society Picture Library

Over a million images and footage from the Science Museum Group.

Brought to Life: exploring the history of medicine

Browse thousands of images and stories from our medicine collection and follow the fascinating story of medicine.

Dana Research Centre and Library

Consult 6,000 books and journals covering museum studies and the history and biography of science technology and medicine.