# animate! › Films › The Phantom Museum by The Quay Brothers › all › synopses › direction & collaboration › full production credits › film stills › tools & processes › format & distribution › background material Canonical: https://animate.org.uk/films/phantommuseum/all Discovery terms: 2000s animation, live action and animation, museums, medical history, objects, experimental documentary, filmmaker, animator The following is the archived page text; discovery terms above are separately sourced metadata. Archive status: restored in 2026; historical calls, deadlines and services are closed. --- **The Phantom Museum – Random Forays into Sir Henry Wellcome’s Medical Collection** a film by The Quay Brothers 2003, 11 min 30 sec ![The Phantom Museum – Random Forays into Sir Henry Wellcome’s Medical Collection, still: ivory lady white ribbon](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/phantommuseum07.jpg) ivory lady white ribbon ### animate! synopsis Sir Henry Wellcome (1853–1936) amassed one of the world’s largest museum collections, capturing human culture and history through medical eyes. **The Phantom Museum** uses animation to imaginatively ‘document’ this extraordinary assemblage and simultaneously reveal an extremely beautiful yet odd inner cosmos of things. ### one sentence synopsis The Phantom Museum provides a random foray and idiosyncratic journey through the bizarre private medical collection of Sir Henry Wellcome. ### short synopsis **The Phantom Museum** was supported by the [Wellcome Trust](http://www.wellcome.ac.uk) for inclusion in their exhibition on Henry Wellcome’s unique collection, staged at the British Museum during June–November 2003. The website for this [Medicine Man](http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/en/medicineman/) exhibition provides two streamed extracts from the film. ### long synopsis **The Phantom Musem** provides a random foray and idiosyncratic journey through the bizarre private medical collection of Sir Henry Wellcome and in particular that part kept by the Science Museum at Blythe House. The film plays with an idea that all passionate museum visitors know to be true: that the objects become even more interesting after the last visitor has left the gallery. ### key credits **director** The Quay Brothers **librarian** Steven Quay **animation** The Quay Brothers **music** Gary Tarn **producer** Keith Griffiths ### The Quay Brothers #### biography [Timothy and Stephan Quay](http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/current/quays/quays.html) come from Philadelphia but have lived in London since 1977, making [animated films](http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/01/19/quay.html#1) plus, in 1994, the live-action feature [The Institute Benjamenta](http://www.awn.com/mag/issue1.3/articles/buchan1.3.html) . Their recent [In Absentia](http://www.horschamp.qc.ca/new_offscreen/quay.html) , a collaboration with Karlheinz Stockhausen, has garnered a great number of prizes. They have also designed for the theatre, including work for English National Opera, Theatre de Complicité and the Royal National Theatre. March 2003 ### a film by The Quay Brothers ### direction **director** The Quay Brothers ### cast in picture **librarian** Steven Quay ### image personnel **animation** The Quay Brothers ### sound personnel **music** Gary Tarn ### production personnel **producer** Keith Griffiths ### support **additional financial support** Supported by the Wellcome Trust **primary funding** An animate! production through Finetake for Arts Council England and Channel 4 © Koninck Studios 2003 [![The Phantom Museum – Random Forays into Sir Henry Wellcome’s Medical Collection, still: 8mm staircase](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/phantommuseum01.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/phantommuseum01.jpg) 8mm staircase - *click on image for full size still* [![The Phantom Museum – Random Forays into Sir Henry Wellcome’s Medical Collection, still: birthing chair](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/phantommuseum02.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/phantommuseum02.jpg) birthing chair - *click on image for full size still* [![The Phantom Museum – Random Forays into Sir Henry Wellcome’s Medical Collection, still: chastity couch](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/phantommuseum03.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/phantommuseum03.jpg) chastity couch - *click on image for full size still* [![The Phantom Museum – Random Forays into Sir Henry Wellcome’s Medical Collection, still: chinese erotic](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/phantommuseum04.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/phantommuseum04.jpg) chinese erotic - *click on image for full size still* [![The Phantom Museum – Random Forays into Sir Henry Wellcome’s Medical Collection, still: Deutsche coffin](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/phantommuseum05.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/phantommuseum05.jpg) Deutsche coffin - *click on image for full size still* [![The Phantom Museum – Random Forays into Sir Henry Wellcome’s Medical Collection, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/phantommuseum06.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/phantommuseum06.jpg) hand - *click on image for full size still* [![The Phantom Museum – Random Forays into Sir Henry Wellcome’s Medical Collection, still: ivory lady white ribbon](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/phantommuseum07.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/phantommuseum07.jpg) ivory lady white ribbon - *click on image for full size still* [![The Phantom Museum – Random Forays into Sir Henry Wellcome’s Medical Collection, still: ivory lady](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/phantommuseum08.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/phantommuseum08.jpg) ivory lady - *click on image for full size still* [![The Phantom Museum – Random Forays into Sir Henry Wellcome’s Medical Collection, still: Phantom Museum](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/phantommuseum09.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/phantommuseum09.jpg) Phantom Museum - *click on image for full size still* [![The Phantom Museum – Random Forays into Sir Henry Wellcome’s Medical Collection, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/phantommuseum10.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/phantommuseum10.jpg) tonsillectomy - *click on image for full size still* ### technical #### process summary Shot on 35mm and 8mm, part animated within studio and part in the backrooms of a London museum. ### master copy format **format** DigiBeta **colour or black & white** colour ### video distribution format **video format** DigiBeta **screen aspect ratio** 16:9 **video standard** PAL **sound type** stereo ### distributor LUX [info@lux.org.uk](mailto:info@lux.org.uk) +44 (0)20 7503 3980 [www.lux.org.uk](http://www.lux.org.uk/) **The Phantom Museum – Random Forays into Sir Henry Wellcome’s Medical Collection** film, stills and other materials © Koninck Studios 2003