Six worlds of discovery

Where will you begin?

Expeditions, natural history, invention and the lives behind them. Six entrances to stories about how people explored, understood and shaped their world.

A historical colour lithograph of the great columned hall at Karnak, Egypt
World 01 · 1750–1900

Expedition

From the Arctic to the banks of the Nile. Maps, navigation and the objects that travelled with our desire to go further.

NavigationCartographyEgyptThe Arctic
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A historical botanical plate of a pink rose with green leaves by Pierre-Joseph Redouté
World 02 · 1750–1900

Nature’s Cabinet

Botanical plates, flora and fauna. Between fieldwork, the glasshouse and the carefully arranged drawers of a collector.

BotanyFaunaGardensNatural history
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Vermeer’s astronomer leaning over a celestial globe beside a window in his study
World 03 · 1600–1900

Science & Invention

Optics, astronomy and mechanical marvels of the study. From Renaissance questions to the precision of the nineteenth century.

OpticsAstronomyInstrumentsPatents
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Ida at a piano in a quiet, light-filled interior painted by Vilhelm Hammershøi
World 04 · 1800–1920

The Drawing Room

The collector’s room. Libraries, writing desks and quiet objects that turn a house into a personal world.

InteriorsLibrariesThe writing deskCollecting
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Vermeer’s The Music Lesson, showing a woman at a virginal and a man in a light-filled room
World 05 · 1600–1920

Art & Music

Music, art and culture, told through instruments, materials and the people who gave them form.

MusicArtCultureInstrument makers
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A historical Breguet marine chronometer in a wooden case with a brass suspension
World 06 · 1750–1920

The Workshop

Gears, measuring tools, cameras and precision mechanisms. A closer look at the craftsmanship behind a good idea.

MechanicsTechnologyCraftsmanshipTime
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Letters from Vanguard Chronicles

A little more to discover.

New stories, remarkable objects and the people behind them. Join our newsletter list for occasional letters from the chronicles.

The journal’s index

What sparks your curiosity?