2. Major Percy Horace Gordon
Powell Cotton (1866-1940) was
born in Margate. He was
educated at home and privately
and joined the Northumberland
Fusiliers militia in 1886.
In 1889 he set off on his ‘Round
the World Trip’, travelling
through Europe and Egypt, then
going on to India and Kashmir.
3. He began as a hunter but
became a collector of natural
history specimens, which means
that he was very selective.
His ambition was to collect
examples of every large African
mammal and he made 27
collecting trips there in his effort
to do so.
The museum at Quex is a result
of his vision of how to show what
he saw to the world. He created
wonderful dioramas, full of
action and colour, at a time when
the only alternative was grainy
black and white photographs.
4. Percy Powell Cotton was also
interested in the people of the
countries he travelled in. From his
earliest travels he brought back
examples of crafts and costume.
His family followed his example. His
daughters Diana and Antoinette made
two expeditions to Angola in 1936 and
1937. This is one of their photographs.
The museum has thousands of items
of ethnography, some are displayed in
the galleries.
