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A pincushion with tiny children's heads embedded in them from the Norwich Castle museum. Via @RedHeadedAli / Twitter

A red-eyed bear casts a soul-staring glance at the Toy Museum of Penshurst Place, a manor and garden house in Kent. 'Feed it a 2 pence piece and it'll pretend to drink from its cup as it stares into your soul,' they write on Twitter. Via @Penshurst Place / Twitter

The Deutsches Historisches Museum in Germany shared an image of a 1650/1750 plague mask from their collection. Via @DHMBerlin / Twitter

A dried merman from London's Science Museum. According to the museum, it is possibly a Javanese ritual figure from Denmark or Japan and dates back to 1850-1900. Via @Punk_Science / Twitter

The York Art Gallery was confident in its submission, writing, 'Guys we know we have already won.' Their creepiest object is a ceramic piece by Kerry Jameson moulded into a severed lower leg that has sprouted its own limbs and head. Via @YorkArtGallery / Twitter

A carved pendant where one side features a dead man's face, while the other side shows a decaying skull. It dates back to 16th century Germany. Via @AshmoleanMuseum / Twitter

Shared by the York Castle Museum, these models made from crab legs and claws playing cards are feats of a strange imagination. 'Typical Victorians, they loved weird/creepy stuff,' the museum states on Twitter. Via @YorkCastle / Twitter

From the collection of the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford: a sheep's heart stuck with pins and nails and strung on a loop of cord. According to curator Dan Hicks, the object was made in South Devon around 1911 and was meant for 'breaking evil spells'. Via @profdanhicks / Twitter

For some, the expressions on these dolls' faces don't appear so innocent. They are part of the collection of the Lilliput Doll and Toy Museum in Brading on the Isle of Wight. Via @PaulCowdell / Twitter

Another merman figure, this one is from the Booth Museum in Brighton, shared by museum researcher Fiona Candlin. Via @FionaCandlin / Twitter

Can you guess what this is? The Museums Galleries Scotland shared this decorative towel holder from the collection of the Tyrolean Folk Art Museum in Innsbruck. Via @MuseumGalScot / Twitter

'Imagine rummaging through an archive and unwrapping this,' writes the Egham Museum. The museum in Surrey shared fragments of a doll that had been found on the grounds of a junior school. Via @EghamMuseum / Twitter

Not quite what we imagine a mermaid to look like, this object is from the natural sciences department of the National Museums Scotland. Via @NatSciNMS / Twitter

A pincushion with tiny children's heads embedded in them from the Norwich Castle museum. Via @RedHeadedAli / Twitter

A red-eyed bear casts a soul-staring glance at the Toy Museum of Penshurst Place, a manor and garden house in Kent. 'Feed it a 2 pence piece and it'll pretend to drink from its cup as it stares into your soul,' they write on Twitter. Via @Penshurst Place / Twitter

The Deutsches Historisches Museum in Germany shared an image of a 1650/1750 plague mask from their collection. Via @DHMBerlin / Twitter

A dried merman from London's Science Museum. According to the museum, it is possibly a Javanese ritual figure from Denmark or Japan and dates back to 1850-1900. Via @Punk_Science / Twitter

The York Art Gallery was confident in its submission, writing, 'Guys we know we have already won.' Their creepiest object is a ceramic piece by Kerry Jameson moulded into a severed lower leg that has sprouted its own limbs and head. Via @YorkArtGallery / Twitter

A carved pendant where one side features a dead man's face, while the other side shows a decaying skull. It dates back to 16th century Germany. Via @AshmoleanMuseum / Twitter

Shared by the York Castle Museum, these models made from crab legs and claws playing cards are feats of a strange imagination. 'Typical Victorians, they loved weird/creepy stuff,' the museum states on Twitter. Via @YorkCastle / Twitter

From the collection of the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford: a sheep's heart stuck with pins and nails and strung on a loop of cord. According to curator Dan Hicks, the object was made in South Devon around 1911 and was meant for 'breaking evil spells'. Via @profdanhicks / Twitter

For some, the expressions on these dolls' faces don't appear so innocent. They are part of the collection of the Lilliput Doll and Toy Museum in Brading on the Isle of Wight. Via @PaulCowdell / Twitter

Another merman figure, this one is from the Booth Museum in Brighton, shared by museum researcher Fiona Candlin. Via @FionaCandlin / Twitter

Can you guess what this is? The Museums Galleries Scotland shared this decorative towel holder from the collection of the Tyrolean Folk Art Museum in Innsbruck. Via @MuseumGalScot / Twitter

'Imagine rummaging through an archive and unwrapping this,' writes the Egham Museum. The museum in Surrey shared fragments of a doll that had been found on the grounds of a junior school. Via @EghamMuseum / Twitter

Not quite what we imagine a mermaid to look like, this object is from the natural sciences department of the National Museums Scotland. Via @NatSciNMS / Twitter

A pincushion with tiny children's heads embedded in them from the Norwich Castle museum. Via @RedHeadedAli / Twitter

Click with caution: Why museums are sharing photos of their creepiest objects online

A UK museum has started an online challenge asking curators to share pictures of disturbing pieces from their collections

Alexandra Chaves

April 21, 2020

English
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