Less is more Deaccessioning from the historic houses trust of New South Wales

On 20 November 1989 the Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales sold at public auction 349 objects from two of the state's most important historic house museum collections. This is a response to requests for information about how and why the Trust took the action it did. My aim is to provide more than just an account of the mechanics of the exercise, for the disposal of so many objects from any historical collection requires careful consideration of ethical, managerial and curatorial issues. An interesting feature of the Historic Houses Trust is that it is not primarily a collecting body. It has a very precise charter defining what can be acquired. The Trust requires a rigorous historical context for its house museums which consequently demands that the Registrar and Curators test the policies and collections of previous administrators, particularly with those houses which have performed functions other than their historically important one

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