General Cultural Collection

The General Cultural Collection or Humanities collection of approximately 20,000 artifacts represents peoples and cultures from around the world, past and present. Boston Children's Museum holds small, selective cultural collections from Africa, Asia, the Arctic, Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East and Oceania. In all cases, we collect objects that relate to children’s lives, as they are particularly effective in talking about daily life in a variety of settings. The objects in this collection describe: how people have lived and continue to live their daily lives; the range of objects they use (both objects of fine aesthetic quality and the more mundane, utilitarian ones); objects that directly relate to children’s lives, including educational materials, dolls, toys and games, and clothing. Wherever possible, these objects are well-made examples of their particular form, are well documented in terms of origin and history, and reflect the values and concerns of the particular community being represented. Highlights include the Anna D. Slocum Filipino Collection of almost 400 artifacts collected by the donor on a visit to the Philippines in the 1890’s. This collection is significant because it contains artifacts from cultures that assimilated after American colonization in the early 1900’s.