Manchester’s Portico Library has reached into its collection of 25,000+ books, which are mostly from the 19th century, to give their captivating illustrations a chance to shine in the form of co-created prints through a new project – The Folio Collector.
Inspired by five themes within the library’s eclectic collection, The Folio Collector is a series of 19th-century prints co-curated by the Library’s volunteers and local collaborators who are experts in their fields which have been reproduced in the form of limited edition prints. Hip-Hop MC and writer Testament, Heaton Park Beekeepers Chris MacLeod and Natasha DeVoe, Migration Lab’s Dr. Uma Kothari and Dr. Tanja Muller, the Manchester Museum’s Dr. Campbell Price, and John Consterdine from Manchester Taxi Tours are among the first wave of collaborators for this new project.
The themes explored in this collection are Manchester, our city; Bees and Flowers; Voyage and Travel; Egypt; and Maps of the World.
The five associated collaborators were invited to research the theme significant to their practice and select images from the Portico Library’s collection of books that resonate with them most and reflect Manchester’s rich and diverse culture.
● Manchester, our city was curated by Testament, a Hip-Hop MC, writer, theatre maker, and world record-breaking human beatboxer. Testament has written plays for theatres such as the Royal Exchange Theatre, the Royal Court, and Leeds Playhouse, and written screenplays for Netflix, BBC, and Channel 4.
● Heaton Park Beekeepers Chris MacLeod and Natasha DeVoe from Manchester and Districts Beekeepers’ Association curated the prints related to Bees and Flowers.
● Voyage and Travel was curated by Dr. Uma Kothari, a Professor of Migration and Postcolonial Studies, and Dr. Tanja Muller, a Professor of Political Sociology, who are founders of Migration Lab.
● Dr. Campbell Price, Curator of Egypt and Sudan at the Manchester Museum, one of the UK’s largest collections of Egyptian antiquities, curated the series of prints related to Egypt. He is also the Chair of the Egypt Exploration Society. His research interests include the interpretation and creation of ‘ancient Egypt’ in museums and popular culture.
● And lastly, Maps of the World was curated by Manchester Taxi Tours’ John Consterdine.
Featured books include an illustration of the Queen Victoria’s visit to Manchester 1851, drawings of wildflowers across Britain by John Edward Sowerby, illustrations of Louis Rousselet’s camp in Rajpoor during his extensive travels in India in 1876, explorations by Giovanni Battista Belzoni in the 1800s, a map of Mount Fuji summit from Murray’s handbook of Japan published in 1884, and much more.
Engagement and Volunteer Coordinator Apapat Jai-in Glynn said this about the collection:
“Tens of thousands of handmade illustrations are inside these books sitting amongst the visitors of the Portico Library waiting to shine and emerge through the Library’s public programme of exhibitions, events, research, and our shop. We cannot wait for people to come and admire this collection with us through The Folio Collector project.”
The prints are available to purchase in person at the library and online from Thursday 23 February 2023: theportico.org.uk/folio-collector.
The illustrations have been printed on Perlino Cotton paper, a beautiful textured, off-white paper; 250 GSM, FSC® Certified 25% recycled and fully recyclable paper. All print editions are hand-labeled.
