During the latter half of the nineteenth century, there was a shift in the focus of acquisitions.

After growing pressure from archaeological groups wanting more respect to be given to national antiquities, the Museum established a position of responsibility for British and Medieval material.

The first person appointed was the 25-year-old Augustus Wollaston Franks (later Sir), who laid the foundations for the Museum’s current departments.

Not only did Franks increase the British and Medieval antiquities held by the Museum, but he also added prehistoric, ethnographic and archaeological material from Europe and beyond as well as oriental art and artefacts.

Objects Franks was responsible for acquiring included a unique whalebone casket from Northumbria (1867), the Royal Gold Cup (1892) and 10,000 items from the Christy collection of prehistory and ethnography, including a collection of Mexican turquoise masks.

On his death in 1897, Franks bequeathed his own personal collection to the Museum. It included the magnificent Oxus Treasure.

The 1880s saw the first major break up of the collection, when the natural history material was moved to a separate building in South Kensington. This was to become the Natural History Museum.