Aisha Tahir

Thesis title: Scottish Silversmiths in the Caribbean, c. 1700–1820

Biography

Background

Born and raised in London, I left the Big Smoke to undertake my BA in English at Oxford. During classes at the Ashmolean, I became enamoured with historical objects and material culture (and the possibility of a career researching this) which led me back to London for my MA in Heritage Management at Queen Mary. I studied part-time and worked as a Curatorial Assistant at Kensington Palace for Historic Royal Palaces. I have since worked in a curatorial capacity at Brent Museum & Archives, the Goldsmiths' Company, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, building a growing expertise in precious metalwork.

Qualifications

MA, Heritage Management, Queen Mary University of London (2020)

BA, English Literature and Language, University of Oxford (2018)

Current research interests

My PhD research investigates Scottish silversmiths active in the Caribbean c.1700–1820. It will engender a fuller understanding of Scottish involvement in the manufacture and sale of luxury silver commodities in this colonial context. In focusing on an urban-based trade, it adds to existing studies of more prominent plantation-based industries in the Caribbean, like sugar production, and improves understanding of the interconnectedness of Scottish émigré networks. The thesis has three main lines of enquiry—a demographic analysis of Scottish silversmiths in the Caribbean, the resources, craft practices and use of enslaved labour in silver workshops, and the social and financial networks of the trade, including the use of plantation-derived wealth as credit. Working in collaboration with National Museums Scotland, the project will examine extant Caribbean-made silverware, as well as its traces in archival documents.

Affiliated research centres

Project activity

Scottish Silversmiths in the Caribbean, c. 1700–1820

Current project grants

SGSAH AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award (2025-29)

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