16th century

Topic description and stories

Frontispiece from “The Good House-wife made Doctor”, published in 1698 as a manual of household remedies and medical cures

A taste of early modern medicine

18 Jul 2014

Historic recipe books and physicians’ manuals featuring home-made cures from the 17th century have gone on display to the public for the first time...

Vesalius undertaking a dissection, in the hand-coloured frontispiece to his 'Epitome' (1543), Credit: Cambridge University Library

Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564) and the books that made the father of anatomy

17 Jul 2014

Born 500 years ago, Andreas Vesalius has iconic status in the history of science. Cambridge University Library holds several copies of the remarkable...

Detail from Folding Screen with the Siege of Vienna, Mexico c 1697-1701, Museo Nacional del Virreinato, Tepotzotlan, Credit: Hector Montano Morales

Unfolding the untold stories of an object d’art

02 Jun 2014

Art historian Dr Meredith Hale reveals that a 17th-century screen, commissioned by the Viceroy of Mexico for a palace designed to impress visitors...

Naughty money: clippers and coiners in 16th-century England

12 Apr 2014

In 2017 a new £1 coin will appear in our pockets with a design extremely difficult to forge. In the mid-16th century, Elizabeth I’s government came...

1723 Sampler by Mary Derow, St Clement Danes School

Sewing stories: unpicking the reality of young lives

12 Oct 2013

An online exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum explores the narratives contained in eight samplers made by school girls from poor backgrounds in the...

Shooting in the field: capturing life as it’s lived

14 Aug 2013

A student photography competition showcases some of the stunning visuals that result from modern Social Anthropology research

Aristotle's compleat and experienc'd midwife

Much ado about babies

23 Jul 2013

The management of childbirth and care of newborns have always been hotly-debated topics. PhD candidate Leah Astbury looks at narratives of...

The drama of armour at the Fitzwilliam Museum

28 May 2013

A knight on horseback in full armour will be the star attraction at an event tomorrow (Wednesday, 29 May) at the Fitzwilliam Museum which boasts one...

The first book of fashion

01 May 2013

Fashion conveys complex messages. The recreation of an outfit taken from one of an extraordinary series of Renaissance portraits reveals how one man...