Elizabeth Mary Aslin (23 March 1923 – 14 April 1989) was an English art historian, administrator, author and lecturer who was a specialist in 19th and 20th century decorative arts. She was a research assistant in the Circulation Department of the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

(V&A) between 1947 and 1964, before becoming a part-time assistant keeper in charge of

Bethnal Green Museum Bethnal were a British rock band formed in 1972. In 1978, they released two albums on Vertigo Records: ''Dangerous Times'', produced by Kenny Laguna; and ''Crash Landing''; produced by Jon Astley and Phil Chapman, with special thanks to Pete Tow ...

from 1964 to 1968. Aslin returned to the V&A as assistant director to

John Pope-Hennessy Sir John Wyndham Pope-Hennessy (13 December 1913 – 31 October 1994), was a British art historian. Pope-Hennessy was director of the Victoria and Albert Museum between 1967 and 1973, and director of the British Museum between 1974 and 1976. ...

between 1968 and 1974 and she was later appointed Bethnal Green Museum's Keeper in Charge from 1974 to 1981. She was the author of some books on 19th and 20th century decorative arts.

Early life

On 23 March 1923, Aslin was born at 33 Collegiate Crescent, Broomhall,

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

to the architect Charles Herbert Aslin and his wife Ethel Fawcett, the domestic science teacher. Aslin admired the works of her father throughout her life. Aslin was educated at the

Slade School of Fine Art The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...

and later enrolled at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

. She did her wartime service in the

Auxiliary Territorial Service The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS; often pronounced as an acronym) was the women's branch of the British Army during the World War II, Second World War. It was formed on 9 September 1938, initially as a women's voluntary service, and existe ...

and worked to interpret photographs for the intelligence services.

Career

In 1947, Aslin joined the

(V&A) as a research assistant in its circulation department. She was a member of a group that featured

Peter Floud Peter Castle Floud CBE, (1 June 1911 – 22 January 1960) was a British civil servant and official of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, administering missions in Egypt, Iran, and Albania. He was also an authority on Will ...

and she planned exhibitions that were in museums across the United Kingdom. Aslin was responsible for the furniture of the seminal exhibition "Victorian and Edwardian Exhibition" in 1952. Ten years later, she authored ''Nineteenth Century English Furniture'', which was the first major study of Victorian furniture. Aslin joined the

as a part-time assistant keeper in charge in 1964. She immediately began to redisplay the museum's continental furniture and undertook a preparation of British design in the 20th century for designs in the 1920s and 1930s, incorporating displays popular with the local community. In 1968, Aslin was appointed assistant director to

at the V&A. She was given the responsibility of liaising with the Ministry of Works and was responsible for the buildings, installations and redecorating. The following year, Aslin wrote ''The Aesthetic Movement: Prelude to Art Nouveau''. Following the appointment of

Roy Strong Sir Roy Colin Strong, (born 23 August 1935) is an English art historian, museum curator, writer, broadcaster and landscape designer. He has served as director of both the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. ...

as director of the V&A in 1974, she returned to Bethnal Green Museum and was made Keeper in Charge until her retirement in 1981. After she retired, she dedicated herself to her interests as a life-long member of

The Victorian Society The Victorian Society is a UK charity and amenity society that campaigns to preserve and promote interest in Victorian and Edwardian architecture and heritage built between 1837 and 1914 in England and Wales. As a statutory consultee, by la ...

. Aslin was a founder member of the Decorative Arts Society, and was a member of both the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society and the Victorian Arts Society. She was a committee member of the Brighton Society in

Hove Hove ( ) is a seaside resort in East Sussex, England. Alongside Brighton, it is one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove. Originally a fishing village surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th century in respon ...

. Aslin researched 19th-century continental ceramics and the designs of

Edward William Godwin Edward William Godwin (26 May 1833 – 6 October 1886) was a progressive English architect-designer, who began his career working in the strongly polychromatic "John Ruskin, Ruskinian Gothic" style of mid-Victorian Britain, inspired by ''Th ...

, and she published ''E.W. Godwin: Furniture and Interior Decoration'' in 1986. Aslin lectured in Britain and the United States on multiple topics and collectors, dealers and scholars around the world asked for her opinion.

Personal life

Aslin did not marry. On 14 April 1989, she died at 52 Dyke Road Avenue in Brighton.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aslin, Elizabeth Mary 1923 births 1989 deaths 20th-century English women 20th-century English historians Alumni of the Slade School of Fine Art Alumni of the University of London Auxiliary Territorial Service officers English lecturers English art historians British women art historians English curators English women curators British arts administrators Women arts administrators Museum administrators English women non-fiction writers People associated with the Victoria and Albert Museum