Missing Artifacts from Museums Include Pants, Mustaches, and Bird Livers

Over 1,700 items, including a false mustache and a drawing of Queen Victoria, have been reported missing from museums in England. These items were discovered to be absent through freedom of information requests made to museums and galleries that receive public funding. The British Museum recently dismissed a staff member after over 2,000 artifacts went missing. Other unusual missing objects include a Saddam Hussein calendar and an aircraft navigational system. The National Portrait Gallery, which recently reopened following renovation, has reported 45 items as "not located," but they deny that these items are missing or stolen. The items that have been recorded as "not found" from 2007 to 2022 include a drawing of Queen Victoria, an engraving of King John granting the Magna Carta, a sculpture of Thomas Stothard, and a negative image of the wedding of the late Queen to the Duke of Edinburgh. The gallery states that these items are still being searched for due to the refurbishment and that the unlocated items make up only 0.02% of their collection. The V&A museum also reported missing items, which include oil and watercolor paintings, a shadow puppet, false mustaches, various drawings, underpants, stockings, and a mousetrap. The museums did not disclose detailed descriptions of the missing items or when they went missing. They stated that it is standard practice to have a list of missing items as part of regular auditing. The museums assured that the protection of national collections is a priority and that security and collection management procedures are regularly reviewed. The missing items may not necessarily be stolen or lost, but rather result from data transfer errors, incorrect documentation, or outdated catalog entries. The museums have been able to recover some items through auditing. However, some notable losses include a jaw fragment of a reptile, fish, and genomic tissues. The Natural History Museum has had 23 instances of lost or missing items over the past 20 years, primarily teeth, fish, and frozen animal tissue. The museum maintains robust security measures and emphasizes the importance of allowing researchers to access the collection. The Imperial War Museum disclosed over 550 missing items, such as ship camouflage drawings, private papers, and a calendar with a photograph of Saddam Hussein. These missing items are typically low-value mass-produced items. Security measures have been reviewed in response to recent thefts. Overall, efforts are being made to track and safeguard artifacts by implementing barcode systems in various museums.