Author Archive: ROM
Monthly Archive: December ROM
Cooking up History: Historical Recipe Books
![](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/cover_the_ladys_assistant_1801.jpg?itok=HFLXON7s)
The cookbooks of the past provide information about diet and habits, as well as telling us which foods were expensive treats, and which were commonly available. Many of the foods that appear regularly through the centuries are not often eaten today, like pickled eel, fried lamprey, and cow-heel soup. Others are familiar, such as macaroni soup or an 1877 recipe for ‘Indian dal’.
Meet Miss Martin: Behind the Scenes at the ROM Library & Archives
![Ella N. Martin, ROM Library & Archives SC82 Ella Martin displays an artifact. ROM Archives SC82](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/ella1.jpg?itok=jqQtPbXY)
University of Toronto iSchool Masters candidate Nicole Marcogliese describes her experience in the ROM's Library & Archives working with the Ella N. Martin collection.
A New Focus for Photography
I have had the pleasure this past week of working with a new camera. This is not just any new camera, but a tool which allows one to rethink how we go about photography. The number of times we have all heard "you should have focused on that thing" or "you forgot to focus!" is frustrating. "It’s a great shot....but it's out of focus".
'The Elements of Armories': A Very Short History of Heraldry
![Edmund Bolton, The Elements of Armories, 1610](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/detail_title_the_elements_of_armories_1611.jpg?itok=kXPq1qJE)
The colourful pennants and shields carried by bold knights and courageous squires are known to us today from illustrated books and films telling stories of Robin Hood, or King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. But these bright emblems are more than decoration, and have long historical roots.
Museum Monday with Melissa
![Museum Monday with Melissa Museum Monday with Melissa](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/musuem-monday-melissa.jpg?itok=OVWzZp75)
The 1st Blog post by our new Guest blogger, Melissa Doyle!
Getting Lost with Galloway
![Matt Galloway is the host of Metro Morning on CBC Radio One, 99.1 FM, the top-rated morning radio program in Toronto. Galloway is a keen cyclist, burgeoning runner, voracious reader, proud Torontonian, and messy cook. He lives in the west end of Toronto with his wife and their two daughters. Portrait of Matt Galloway, CBC Metro Morning Host and Toronto resident.](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/mattforrom_sm.jpg?itok=eiT8ENmF)
We sat down with CBC’s Matt Galloway to find out exactly what keeps bringing him back to the ROM
Q: Do you visit the museum often?
A: Yes, I have a couple of young kids. We come on a fairly regular basis. Sometimes if there’s a special event, but also sometimes we come just to wander around. It’s a great place to explore—one of the places we go to just spend time in the city. That’s a big thing for our family, to be out and about in Toronto as much as we can.
The Anatomy of a Book: Saving The Naturalist's Library
![The Naturalist's Library, vol. XIII by Charles Hamilton Smith. Edinburgh: 1842](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/title.jpg?itok=WxIm-yjU)
Books are remarkably durable. Fragments have survived from ancient times, while others have traversed the centuries in near perfect condition. One such example is the St Cuthbert Gospel from the 7th century, the earliest intact European book. But despite the robust structure of the book, the rigours of use and the passage of years cause many fall into disrepair and to require mending.
International Women's Day
![Ella Martin Ella Martin instructs a group of students. ROM Archives SC82](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/rg140-40-03.jpg?itok=rjoFWUF2)
In honour of International Women’s Day, the ROM Library and Archives highlights a number of the many women whose work at the ROM made advances in science, art, and museology.
Family Plan for March Break 2015!
![March Break at the ROM March Break at the ROM](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/marchbreak_carousel_0.png?itok=LG1_bz8A)
For March Break this year we’ve decided to try to see as much of the world as we can without using our passports! First up? At least one visit to the ROM!
Luckily the ROM has a ton of special March Break programming that looks fun and family-friendly. The programming is running for the full week of the break, from Saturday March 14 to Sunday March 22. And most of the family-friendly stuff runs between 11AM and 4PM.
After talking it over, I’ve made a list of our “must sees”…
Toronto at the Turn of the (Last) Century
![](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/dome_of_the_dominiontoronto_the_queen_city_1900s.jpg?itok=1XBqmRFg)
The City of Toronto was officially incorporated in 1834 and the second half of the 19th century was a period of great growth in the city. The population grew through railway and steamer links, which facilitated the arrival of immigrants at the port or the new Union Station building. The harbour was a key asset for trade and expansion, and was steadily under development.