Sharing the spirit of Christmas – People’s History Museum’s 2023 Christmas gift guide
PHM shop has stocked its shelves with Christmas gift ideas for those that believe in the spirit of Christmas all year round. Inspired by its historic archive and contemporary collections the team at People’s History Museum (PHM) has taken a look to Christmas past and Christmas future to create an array of gift ideas for the festive season. All are available at PHM shop in Manchester city centre with a selection also available online.
Launched for Christmas 2023 is a very special ‘P’ addition to The Sculpt’s Northern Alphabet series, which tells the story of People’s History Museum through illustration. Available as a tile, fine art print, mug, coaster, tea towel, tote bag or postcard, the black and white image features some of the museum’s most famous banners and placards held aloft outside the museum by figures representing different time periods. From the historic ‘Manchester suffragette banner’ that has stood beside Emmeline Pankhurst to the ‘There’s No Planet B’ placard that was used at the first student strike for climate change in Manchester in February 2019, the illustration brilliantly captures the essence of PHM. Prices range from £28.00 for a tile, to 75p for a postcard.
Injecting colour and joy into Christmas gifting is the Art House collection. Everything from Art House is based on the original work of artistic adults with neurovdiversity and physical support needs who attend the regular workshop sessions organised by the charity. The result is beautiful, imaginative packaging and stylish must have products that include ‘you’re splendid soap’ and ‘sparkle’ badge. Also irresistible are the chocolate bars, which with names like ‘donkey disco’ and ‘bee free’, you can only love. Prices start from £6.50 for a lip balm.
You can do ‘totes for women’ (£12.00) with a must have tote bag designed by Clavis & Claustra, or stick to the tradition of socks with special edition ‘votes for women’ socks (£12.50) by Stand 4 Socks (just one of three designs stocked and with every purchase a donation of socks is made to a vulnerable person). And if your love for all things suffragette extends still further, then you can adorn your Christmas tree with two beautifully handcrafted Edwardian figures marching for a change (£12.99 each).
Also making a debut performance in tote bag form are two other strong women who have trodden the cobbles of Coronation Street. The ‘Rita’ and ‘Diedre’ tote bags (£10.00) play homage to two of the programme’s most famous characters and are the work of artist Amy Ellison of the Venture Arts studio. Based in Hulme Venture Arts supports people with learning disabilities to reach their full potential through visual arts and culture. It’s apt that the bags are part of PHM shop collection, with the museum also being home to Hayley Cropper’s red anorak. It was donated to the museum by actor Julie Hesmondhalgh in 2017 where it appeared in the exhibition Never Going Underground: The Fight for LGBT+ Rights to mark the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexual acts in England and Wales (1967 Sexual Offences Act). You’ll find more Venture Arts products in PHM shop including scrunchies and hair bands.
There is nothing like a visit to People’s History Museum to discover stories of radical history, but the perfect reminder of some of the historical milestones that have been achieved comes in the form of the 2023 Radical Calendar. This is the ideal gift for someone who loves history and features the images of 19th century British socialist and Arts & Crafts pioneer Walter Crane, some of whose work is part of PHM’s collection. Created by the famous Radical Tea Towel company, the Radical Calendar is priced at £12.50.
PHM shop operates the same opening hours as the museum: 10.00am to 5.00pm everyday except Tuesday. If you visit the museum from Wednesday 16 November you will also be able to see the brand new exhibition, Nothing About Us Without Us, which explores the history of disabled people’s activism and ongoing fight for rights and inclusion. For online orders the last posting date is Thursday 15 December 2022 and UK standard delivery is £4.00, FREE for orders over £50.00, or FREE if you use the click and collect service.
The museum and its exhibitions are free to visit with a suggested donation of £5. To find out about visiting the museum, its full exhibitions and events programme based both at the museum and online visit phm.org.uk, and you can keep up to date with the latest news by signing up to receive PHM’s e-newsletter, or following the museum on social media on Twitter @PHMMcr, Facebook @PHMMcr, and Instagram @phmmcr.
