18 unusual vehicles from museums around the world

The Yorkshire Museum continues to tweet curator battles in which it encourages museum representatives from around the world to share exhibits on a given topic. This week's theme is "awesome transport" (can also be translated as "giant transport", which was used by some participants). Traditionally, challenge creators started first.

IT'S TIME FOR #CURATORBATTLE!💥

Today's theme is #TremendousTransport! 🚗

We’re starting as we mean to go on - with a Victory! This cute #Roman carnelian intaglio is carved with the winged goddess of Victory personified riding a two-horsed chariot (100-200 AD).

BEAT THAT! 💥 pic.twitter.com/ZPaoEumUNg

- Yorkshire Museum (@YorkshireMuseum) July 10, 2020

#CURATORBATTLE time!

New theme - awesome / giant vehicles. We'll start with Victoria (play on words: "Victoria" also translates to "victory")! On this piece of carnelian is carved the winged goddess Victoria in a chariot pulled by a pair of horses (100-200 BC). n. BC).

Other curators also pulled up. Collected the most unusual and interesting.

We’re coo-ing back to the 20th C with our #TremendousTransport!🕊️

Turns out that pigeons fly much faster than traffic so wore these tiny backpacks to carry blood samples from Plymouth Hospital🚗

Don’t get in a flap; a little bird told us this didn’t catch on.#CURATORBATTLEpic.twitter.com/r7tJcgQ9BV

- National Leather Collection (@museumofleather) July 10, 2020

Let's turn to the 20th century! It turned out that pigeons developed much faster than land transport of the time, so tiny backpacks were put on the birds to carry blood samples from Plymouth Hospital. However, the bird whispered to us that it never became very popular.

#TremendousTransport

Chariot
Created: Pazyryk culture. V-IV centuries. BC.
Chariot
Created: Pazyryk Culture. 5th - 4th century BC

This large ceremonial chariot of birch is the most striking object amongst the finds from the Pazyryk Barrow No.5. pic.twitter.com/tGETkcGh8q

- Hermitage / Hermitage (@state_hermitage) July 10, 2020

Ceremonial chariot from the Hermitage collection. The three wooden frames are connected by small carved poles and leather straps that form a platform with a canopy above it. Each of the four large wheels has 34 spokes wrapped in birch bark and glued for added strength.

Behold the humble collections trolley.
Mover of objects and archives alike.
Never wavering nor complaining.
Unsung museum hero. #TremendousTransport#CURATORBATTLEpic.twitter.com/yPN46xzu5b

- Rotherham Museums and Archives (@CliftonParkMus) July 10, 2020

Behold: the humble cart. Carries artifacts and archival documents equally well. Never hesitates or complains. An unsung hero of the museum.

#TremendousTransport? How about 'Arion riding on a Dolphin ’c. 1510, by Francesco Bianchi Ferrari?

It’s inspired by the Fasti, a poem by the poet Ovid about the Roman calendar, which includes the tale of singer Arion being rescued by a dolphin sent by Jupiter #CuratorBattlepic.twitter.com/fF73ngtH10

- Ashmolean Museum (@AshmoleanMuseum) July 10, 2020

How about "Arion Rides a Dolphin"? The painting was painted in 1510 by Francesco Bianchi Ferrari. The artist was inspired by the poem "Fasti" by Ovid, dedicated to the Roman calendar, in which there was a story about the singer Arion, who was saved by a dolphin sent by Jupiter.

Do you a want vehicle that can do 0-60 never?

Look no further than our Sedan Chair, the ultimate way to get around York.

Designed for dainty ladies who don’t like walking, this state of the art model comes with comes with a sunroof.#tremendoustransport#CURATORBATTLEpic.twitter.com/iLvWsHN8Ep

- Fairfax House (@fairfax_house) July 10, 2020

How about vehicles that never go to 60 km / h? Then you will love this palanquin, an unusual way of getting around York. Designed for graceful ladies who hate walking, it offers sun protection in addition to its artful design.

What better way to travel around than with Mum! Here’s our Short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica) carrying her 12 youngsters. YES 12! #NatureDoesItBest

"Are we nearly there yet?" #TremendousTransportation#CURATORBATTLEpic.twitter.com/QdJ2WyWEVU

- Natural Sciences NMS (@NatSciNMS) July 10, 2020

Mom is the best transport! Here is our short-tailed possum female carrying 12 cubs.

#TremendousTransport you say…. how about a 27m long ship so you arrive in the afterlife in style 😎? The biggest of only 3 known Anglo-Saxon ship burials, repairs tell us that this ship had a life out on the water 🌊 before burial. #CURATORBATTLE

📷 @britishmuseumpic.twitter.com/6VfRZj2Q4c

- Sutton Hoo (@NT_SuttonHoo) July 10, 2020

How about a 27-meter ship to enter the world of the dead in style? The largest of the three known Anglo-Saxon burial ships, reconstruction shows that it was launched before burial.

Caution: trypophobia!

How about a tremendous mother @zoologymuseum being the #TremendousTransport? The Suriname toad (Pipa pipa) of South America EMBEDS HER EGGS INTO HER BACK BY GROWING SKIN AROUND THEM and then transports them around until they’re ready to hatch…. #Curatorbattlepic.twitter.com/GcvLfhlSZz

- Mathew Lowe (@MigratoryMatt) July 10, 2020

How about a stunning mother from the Zoological Museum? The Surinamese pipa frog from South Africa LAYS EGGS ON HIS BACK WHERE THEY TURN SKIN, and then wears them on until they are ready to hatch ...

In #Sheffield we do Pimp My Ride with trams instead of cars 💥🚋🚊#TremendousTransport#CuratorBattle#PimpMyRide

(Images 2-4 © https://t.co/jioxee5FFr) pic.twitter.com/gPNO7asgWM

- Museums Sheffield (@MuseumSheffield) July 10, 2020

In Sheffield, they arranged a "Wheelbarrow to Pump" not for cars, but for trams!

There is #TremendousTransport of online shopping packages these days!
Most deliveries are by truck, but this is a scale model of a quadricycle used to deliver mail in Toronto in 1899. It was quickly abandoned for lack of power, roof and windshield! #CuratorBattlepic.twitter.com/dyXkSYJTCw

- Museum of History (@CanMusHistory) July 10, 2020

Here is a model of a 4-wheel bicycle used in Toronto in 1899 to deliver parcels. Such transport was quickly abandoned due to low speed and lack of roof and protection from the wind.

And one more option from the Hermitage:

#TremendousTransport
10-seater sleigh
Russia, St. Petersburg, 1797
Ten-seat sledge
Russia, 1797
Probably made by order of Empress Catherine II for country walks of courtiers in winter. pic.twitter.com/tDYE6ZXgMn

- Hermitage / Hermitage (@state_hermitage) July 10, 2020

How about the experimental Rotachute? Conceived in 1940 as a type of parachute, it was designed to carry an armed soldier into battle. During trials, Rotachutes were towed behind aircraft and reached a maximum height of 3,900 ft (1,189 m). pic.twitter.com/QyMCIE9VNb

- ArmyFlyingMuseum (@armyflying) July 10, 2020

How about an experimental rotachute? It was developed in 1940 as a parachute subspecies designed to deliver soldiers into battle. During the tests, such rotachutes were towed by aircraft, reaching an altitude of 1189 meters.

A fantastic collection! While we’re not a museum as such, we do hold a collection of historical goodies. For the #TremendousTransport theme, may we raise our actual mode of transport? This is a more colorful example of those used to carry coffins to the grave. Behold: The Bier! pic.twitter.com/3aoQYY68jj

- Wombwell Cemetery (@FOWCemetery) July 10, 2020

Although we are not a museum, we have quite a few historical items. For example, this is a colorful version of the vehicle that was used to transport the coffin to the grave: drogi!

Wheelin 'out from our collections a matchstick caravan made by a prisoner (prison & date unknown).

This is a traditional prison pastime using materials available to them.

We have a number of these matchstick models and each one is exquisite #CURATORBATTLE#TremendousTransportpic.twitter.com/FQxr0CDHAE

- NJMLearning (@NJMLearning) July 10, 2020

A match caravan made by a prisoner rolls out of our collection (prison and time of creation are unknown). This is one of the most common leisure activities: crafts from available materials.

Is it a bird? 🦤
Is it a plane? ✈️
No it’s two men, floating in baskets above Southampton in "1980"!! 🧺🧺

That’s right, our transport is so tremendous, it only exists in this 1859 Victorian sketch of the "future"... #CURATORBATTLE#TremendousTransport#WackyRacespic.twitter.com/Kt3o3GWz3u

- Southampton Stories (@SotonStories) July 10, 2020

Is it a bird? This is a plane? No, just a couple of men flying in baskets over Southampton in an alternate 1890. Yes, yes: our transport is so amazing that it only exists in a Victorian drawing of the future from 1859.

Behold the "roller boat". Canadian lawyer and inventor Frederick Knapp believed his vessel would revolutionize ocean travel. It didn’t. Photo: https://t.co/TArOqOHiCt#TremendousTransport#CuratorBattlepic.twitter.com/jLtuclxoIv

- Toronto Public Library (@torontolibrary) July 10, 2020

Behold: the circular boat that Canadian lawyer and inventor Frederick Knapp saw as a revolutionary transport that would change ocean travel. Did not work out.

[To the ‘Birdplane’ melody] I’m more than a ship... I’m more than a cart... I’m a ship-cart ...
We present to you the Gurob ship-cart model, ‘puzzling’ archaeologists since 1920. It was the only object found in a tomb at the site of Gurob. #TremendousTransport#CURATORBATTLEpic.twitter.com/Wpab2c8Wfk

- Petrie Museum (@PetrieMuseEgypt) July 10, 2020

It is more than a boat... It is more than a cart... It is a cart boat! Her model baffled archaeologists back in 1920 - it was the only item found in a tomb near Gurob, Egypt.