The Dryad Collection

The Dryad Collection. Alice Hawkins' Edwardian Leicester. Dryad Collects the World , Harry Peach was a keen collector, and between 1907 and 1937 acquired nearly 3000 items of craftwork while travelling in Europe, Africa and Asia. He also collected objects through his many contacts with other craftwork collectors and academics. For example, a Mrs Boyd-Bowman from Leicester collected several kites for Peach's collection. It was always Harry's dream to open a museum of good quality craftwork, potentially in conjunction with the Leicester School of Art, as an inspiration for teachers and others. While this dream was never realised, the majority of his collection was given to Leicester Museum and Art Gallery in 1969, and now forms the Dryad Collection at the museum., German Influences , Harry was particularly interested in the Deutscher Werkbund, a German design movement, that began in 1907 in Munich. The Werkbund was made up of artists, artisans and architects who believed in good design and craftsmanship. Harry Peach could speak German and often visited the country, attending design fairs and international exhibitions. German objects in the Dryad Collection include wooden butter moulds and spoons, confectionery stamps, and glove puppets representing a policeman, a queen and a king, a witch., Arts and Crafts , The Dryad Collection held by Leicester Museums and Galleries has the finest examples of 20th century cane and basketwork in the UK. The collection also includes fabrics and clothing, toys and ornaments, a selection of carved and painted wooden objects, and items from the practical to the purely decorative. There are also figures of people and animals from around the world, including a fertility doll, a deer mask, warrior figures, a painted wooden bull, and many others.