Sitting at the intersection of anthropology, museology and social history, my research is centred on the Pacific ethnographic collections in Bristol Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG) - a significant collection which provides a tangible record of contact and transition in the Pacific region, as well as myriad developments in Bristol and the South West over time. The project scope is broad; approximately 2500 Pacific objects with the opportunity to investigate the entire Pacific region over 250 years, beyond specific geographies, collectors, periods, themes or object types. I will position this collection within the economic, political, religious, social and cultural arena, and it will be considered within the context of the events that have shaped Bristol, from its mercantile beginnings as a successful trading port and industrial centre into a thriving, cosmopolitan city. I will explore ‘provincial’ collecting of ethnography and look for hidden narratives within the collection.