
Cover of Art and Craft magazine, 1986
Special Collections staff would like to wish all our readers a happy Easter. To celebrate here are a few Easter related items from the collection.
Firstly, Easter baking in a time of rationing meant Simnel Cake was off the menu due to lack of ground almonds. Hence the ‘Easter Pie’ in the picture, a kind of lemon custard tart.

Easter baking including Easter Pie, Hot Cross Buns, Birds’ Nest Tartlets and Fondant Easter Eggs. Good Housekeeping, April 1949
The Art Journal produced the Easter Art Annual, a special publication usually focusing on the work of one British artist – perfect for reading over the long weekend.
Other featured artists included Walter Crane and William Morris:

The Vision of the Holy Grail, design for tapestry, from the William Morris edition of the Easter Art Annual, 1899

A Herald of Spring, by Walter Crane, published in the Easter Art Annual, 1898
Those of you with children may find you need some crafts ideas to occupy little hands during the school holidays. Art & Craft magazine was a Scholastic publication aimed at teachers. It has various ideas for Easter related activities:



Instructions for making ‘doors’ in eggs and ideas for decoration, 1985

Seasonal table decoration using a margarine tub, dried beans and drinking straws, 1985
About Katharine Short
When I was 13 every careers questionnaire I did at school suggested I become an archivist. In rebellion I studied History of Art at Cambridge and the Courtauld Institute before giving in to the inevitable and undertaking a qualification in Archives Administration at Aberystwyth University. I worked at King’s College London Archives and the London Metropolitan Archives before becoming the Archivist here at DMU in January 2013. My role is hugely varied: answering enquiries and assisting researchers, sorting, cataloguing, cleaning and packaging archival material, managing our environmentally controlled storage areas, giving seminars, talks and tours, researching aspects of University history, liaising with potential donors and advocating for the importance of archives within the organisation. I am one of those incredibly fortunate people who can say ‘I love my job’ and really mean it.