I was very fortunate to be able to travel to Sweden last spring. Part of my adventure was visiting the Historiska Museet’s archives and seeing the posament up close. It was an incredible experience that taught me a lot of very helpful things that I would like to share with you. My goal is to remind you to talk to the amazing people who work at museums and to help you prepare before you are face to face with pieces of history that you have only seen in pictures. I promise you it will be much more overwhelming than you anticipate.
Tips for Museum Trips
Plan ahead!
If there is something that you would like a closer look at contact the museum several months in advance to set up an appointment. Double check the days and times that the museum is open and verify that exhibits are available to view during the dates of your trip.
Bring a list of the pieces that you are looking for
You may feel like you are well prepared and know what you want to see but when face to face with something you’ve been researching or a museum full of amazing artifacts your mind may just go blank. Make a list of questions that you want to ask and pieces that you want to see. Mark them off as you go and write down some notes about the answers given to your questions.
Bring multiple cameras
Your camera may not work as well as anticipated so bring multiple way to take pictures like your camera and your phone. Also don’t forget to have extra batteries and plenty of space on them.
Pick up a Phone Camera Lens Kit
These can make a huge difference if you are taking pictures of small pieces! Here is a link to one example of these kits.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions!
The people who work at the museum are as excited as you are about history and the pieces that they work with. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and share what you’ve learned on your own. They may share information with you that you didn’t know you were looking for!
Resources and Links
I taught a class in October where I discussed how my view of posament changed during this trip as well as an overview of preparing for visiting museums. I’ve included a link to the Power Point and handout (though most of the information in the handout is also in this post) from that class below.
Posament An Overview of my Trip to the Historiska Museet
Posament and Historiska Presentation
I am also including links to the pictures that I took at the museums in Stockholm and Visby. I believe that it is important to share information freely if you can so you are welcome to use them. My only request is if you use them please credit me as the photographer.
Posament in Archive Pictures
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18h0BM1B_RgtW1mvKGUviznHKiQxqOoeN?usp=sharing
Silver Brocade in Archive Pictures
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14FMRm24NzCInItSZu5ilLA8XnMq0rjtZ?usp=sharing
Museum Pictures from Stockholm and Gotland
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OBA2VlMLLK1yLNcsBmgJxRB3y-oAMslF?usp=sharing
I am also happy to answer any questions that you might have. Feel free to contact me through my Facebook page or in the comments here.
Early Sweden 
Hi there! I tried to access the links to your pictures but they seem to be broken, or else they otherwise do not work…
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I just verified the links to the photo folders and they seem to be working and public. Please let me know if you have any further issues.
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