The John Hugh Sutton Collection

Curator: Dr Andrew Jamieson

The John Hugh Sutton Collection was established in memory of an outstanding classics student and resident of Trinity College who was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident in 1925.

In memory of their son, Sutton’s parents gave the university the significant sum of £500 to establish a classics museum and collection (equivalent to $35,000 today). The Sutton Collection was developed by professor Cecil Scutt, with the aid of Cambridge archaeologist CT Seltman, and comprises a selection of coins, vases, plaster casts and other objects. The collection was instrumental in the establishment of the University of Melbourne Classics and Archaeology Collection, which has since grown significantly through the generosity of other donors. The important, and most recent, donation by Oscar Whitbread and Corinne Kerby is also included in the exhibition, demonstrating the ongoing legacy of giving established by the Sutton family.

This exhibition features the objects from the John Hugh Sutton Collection, and historical and archival material related to the life of aspiring young classicist and writer John Hugh Sutton.