Hundreds of items missing from UK museums

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) – A recent investigation into museums and galleries in England has unveiled that more than 1,700 items, including a drawing of Queen Victoria and an aircraft navigational system, are missing from collections, according to the British media.

Among the institutions with unlocated items is the National Portrait Gallery in central London, admitting to 45 items that are "not located."

Notable among these are a drawing of Queen Victoria from 1869, a mid-19th-century engraving of King John granting the Magna Carta, a bronze sculpture of painter Thomas Stothard, and a 1947 negative image of the wedding of the late Queen to the Duke of Edinburgh.

The gallery claims that these items are not necessarily missing or stolen but still need to be located after a three-year refurbishment.

Meanwhile, the Victoria and Albert Museum in West London reported over 180 missing artifacts, including oil and watercolor paintings, a shadow puppet, false moustaches, various drawings, underpants, stockings, and even a mousetrap.

The museum is uncertain whether these items were lost or stolen. A spokesperson for the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) emphasized the institution's commitment to the protection of national collections, stating that they regularly review security and collection management procedures.

Freedom of information requests initiated by the PA news agency prompted the disclosure of these missing items over the past two decades, sparking concerns about the security and management of priceless artifacts in publicly funded institutions.

Last summer, the British Museum said over 2,000 artifacts were reported stolen, missing, or damaged.

Museums are now under increased pressure to address these issues and bolster their efforts in cataloging, security, and collection management to safeguard the nation's cultural heritage.