Exhibition 'Poppets, pins and power: the Craft of Cursing' in Museum of Witchcraft & Magic
Our 2017 exhibition is a re-examination of the poppets in the Museum’s collection based on the research carried out by Dr Louise Fenton of the University of Wolverhampton.
Fear? Bemusement? Curiosity? How do you react to the idea of cursing? The objects in this exhibition have proven to be the most controversial of all the Museums’ collections. Whether you believe in the power of magic or not, many visitors have experienced mixed emotions when considering these dolls which have been mutilated, pricked or burnt. Images of the human body that have been used in this way, whether made of clay, wax, string or even a Barbie doll, can resonate deeply within us. This emotional charge is for some the very essence of magic-making.
What is a curse?
A curse can be defined as a spell intended to bring misfortune, illness, harm or even death to a victim.
The most common form of cursing is with a figure or effigy that represents the victim. Wax effigies have been found in ancient times including India, Egypt, Africa and Europe. These effigies can also be made from clay, wood or cloth and in more recent times include photographs, bought dolls and ‘collected’ items of clothing. Historically many of these effigies were burned and so did not survive. The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic has on display here a unique collection of mainly 20th century European dolls – proof that witchcraft still goes on today!
Who curses people, and why?
As you will see by looking at these objects and reading their histories, the people who used cursing poppets often led seemingly conventional lives: suburban husbands and wives, middle class families. Others lived through more extreme circumstances such as colonial conflicts. Would these people have seen themselves as witches or doing witchcraft? Whatever their views it is clear that they were drawing upon ancient magical ideas and tailoring them to their own specific circumstances.
The curses were made for a variety of reasons. A sense of being wronged and a desire for justice is at the heart of cursing magic, although some would argue that this never justifies causing harm to another living being. For some magical practitioners the very idea of cursing is inexcusable.
Although these dolls or poppets can be used for revenge, many similar looking objects were actually created with the intention to heal and protect. The intention of the maker and the purpose of the poppet is everything.
Exhibition layout
The exhibition is in sections,
dolls from around the world showing the variety of uses today
wax and clay figures, including a tale of a scandalous affair
images from the Richel Collection (illustrating the practice of an individual or group of magicians from the Netherlands)
dolls in popular culture showing the cinematic representations of curses
creature curses
the Bavarian Doll, a poppet with a story to tell
dolls, showing the cruelty that can be intended
photographic curses
objects that have been found and collected including a death curse.
