Join curator Dr Frances Sands for a tour of our current exhibition, Fanciful Figures, which investigates ‘staffage’, the small human and animal figures in architectural drawings which first appeared in the late seventeenth century in Britain.

Often holding an object, or accompanied by an animal, staffage figures provide a playful, sometimes whimsical window into contemporary life. They lend a sense of scale, depth, animation and embellishment to the composition. They are typically strategically arranged, perhaps to indicate the central feature of a composition, or to offer a pleasing note of contrasting colour. The exhibition explores their historical significance through works produced by Soane’s office, items from his collection of architectural drawings and key loans.

Book your place

About the speaker

Dr Frances Sands is Curator of Drawings and Books at Sir John Soane's Museum. She has worked at rhe Museum since 2010, first as Catalogue Editor, tasked with cataloguing the office drawings collection of Robert and James Adam – a vast project which is still ongoing. In 2016 she was appointed the Curator of Drawings and Books, taking responsibility for the Soane Museum’s wider collection of 30,000 drawings and 7,000 books. She has curated various exhibitions and publishes and lectures widely. Since 2010, Fran has also served as a Trustee of the York Georgian Society, the Mausolea and Monuments Trust, the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain, and sat on the advisory committee for the Grinling Gibbons Society’s Tercentenary exhibition.

About the event

Your confirmation email serves as your ticket. The tour begins promptly at 15.00 in the Exhibition Gallery. Please enter via Number 12 Lincoln's Inn Fields where we will have a list of names on the door.

We are in a Grade I listed, 19th-century building, so access is not always straightforward. If you require step-free access or extra assistance, please contact us in advance of your booking on admin@soane.org.uk or 020 7405 2107.

Image: Joseph Michael Gandy, Volunteers’ Dinner in the Four Per Cent Office, Bank of England (detail), 1801, SM 1/8/7