What is a cabinet of curiosities? Dating back to the 1500s, wealthy merchants, princes, and naturalists collected and displayed objects they called “wonders” or “curiosities.” These displays exhibited the collector’s wealth, power, taste, and knowledge. Collectors highlighted objects they considered rare or bizarre, often representing people and places they viewed as foreign, exotic, or historic. 

The founders of the Natick Historical Society established a museum to preserve artifacts and promote knowledge, rather than a curiosity cabinet; however, the breadth and diversity of the Society’s early collections reflect the spirit of a curiosity cabinet. 

Stop by the Natick Historical Society at 58 Eliot St. to explore its Cabinet of Curiosities. For more information, visit www.natickhistoricalsociety.org/exhibitions. 

Source: natickhistoricalsociety.org