Here in the archives, myself and the other Collections Volunteers have been scanning away and have recently reached our 60,000 digitised images milestone! As we make our way through the (hundreds of) film strips, we’re continuing to see Tudor objects make their way from the bottom of the Solent and through the hands of those who excavated the ship and its contents in the 1970s and 1980s.
Having now been with the Collection Volunteers team for just shy of 2 years, I’ve begun to realise that some of my favourite photographs I’ve scanned have been of the smaller, domestic objects. At first, it’s difficult to identify these artefacts on the photographic contact sheet. But once the frame has been scanned, you can make out a small wooden bowl with markings carved into its surface. It’s a similar feeling with the underwater photographs that capture objects and the ship in situ. Once the film has made its way through the scanner, it’s fascinating to gain insights into the processes that lead to a diver memorialising some rosary beads as they were originally encountered underwater within a photograph.
Reflections on both the underwater images and the artefact photographs function as quieter, contemplative moments in the scanning room, in which I find myself looking at the photographs for a while to decipher the subject, the context, and the meaning. It’s what I enjoy most about digitisation, and it’s exciting to know that others will have this very exact opportunity to experience as the archive becomes more accessible.
As I began to collate and research some of the photographed artefacts for the blog, I found I was drawn to images that shed light on Tudor Beliefs and Superstition, Witchcraft, and Religion. (And yes, it’s purely coincidence this blogpost is brought to you on Halloween…)
The Protestant Reformation not only affected people’s religious viewpoints, but it fundamentally changed the way Tudor Europeans saw themselves in terms of their public and private displays of belief. I’ve found that these photographs offer a fascinating insight into superstition and beliefs on board the Mary Rose, how certain objects reflect their deeply personal beliefs and attitudes during a time of religious turmoil, and ultimately how certain objects were kept for protection and safety during life at sea.