Running from 5 September 2026 to 3 January 2027, the exhibitions combine historic scientific achievements with contemporary art, giving families and visitors a fresh reason to explore one of Bath’s most intriguing museums.
Photology: John Herschel, Henry Talbot and Early Photography celebrates the work of Sir John Herschel, whose experiments helped shape modern photography. The exhibition explores his collaboration with photographic pioneer William Henry Fox Talbot, his development of the cyanotype process, and the photographic terms still used today. It also highlights the influence of his work on trailblazing figures including Anna Atkins, Julia Margaret Cameron and Mary Somerville.
Alongside it, The as-yet unseen sees contemporary Irish artist Grace Weir transform the museum with a series of specially created artworks inspired by the Herschel family’s home and discoveries. The exhibition features paintings, cyanotypes, an embroidered tablecloth based on William Herschel’s map of the Milky Way and even a live display showing the current distance to Uranus from the museum’s historic workshop.
Dr Amy Frost, Senior Curator at Bath Preservation Trust, said, “This is the first time in the Museum’s history that contemporary site-specific artworks have been integrated within the historic spaces and collection in this way, so it’s really exciting for us.
“The two exhibitions offer visitors different perspectives on the Herschel family’s extraordinary legacy. Together, they explore how observation, curiosity and experimentation have connected astronomy and photography since the nineteenth century.”
The exhibitions will also be supported by a programme of special events, including a cyanotype workshop and a stargazing evening.
Both exhibitions are included with standard museum admission. Adult tickets cost £12.50, while children can visit free.
