From Borneo to Leicester: Colonial entanglements in the Dryad ‘Handicrafts’ Collection

This article explores the global circulation and educational reuse of Bornean crafts within the Dryad ‘Handicrafts’ collection in Leicester, assembled by Harry Peach in the early 20th century. It highlights Peach’s collaboration with colonial administrator Charles Hose, whose objects and photographs from Sarawak and Borneo significantly shaped the collection. Photography served as a vital medium to access, document, and disseminate Bornean material culture, linking colonial collecting to local British craft education. Through patterns, pedagogical uses, and cross-cultural exchanges, the article reveals how imperial networks, visual culture, and local pedagogies converged in the making of a hybrid educational collection.