Dr Antonia Laurence Allen

Position: Curator of collections, Kensington Palace

About

Antonia Laurence Allen is an art and social historian, with a PhD in the History of Photography from the University of St Andrews and an MA in Art History and Theory from the University of British Columbia. Her research revolves around the influence trade, class, and consumption have on public and private displays, from international exhibitions to public museums and domestic interiors.

Antonia specialises in Scottish art and social history, including the Scots’ expansive global reach. She is particularly interested in repatriation projects, taking collections back to source communities and - through research, writing and engagement - providing access to the widest range of audiences as possible.

At HRP, Antonia is currently covering Claudia Acott-Williams’ maternity leave, conducting research on the photographer, Cecil Beaton, and the couturier, Norman Hartnell, who both worked for the royal family in the early-mid 20th century.

(ORCID ID)

Select publications

Wijeratne, P and Laurence Allen, A. (eds.), Ceylon in 1907: Hornel’s Photographic Survey of Life on the Island (Colombo: Jetwing Group, 2025).

Reiss, B, Laurence Allen, A and Melville, J. (eds.) From Camera to Canvas: E. A. Hornel (Edinburgh: Birlinn, 2020).

Laurence-Allen, A. Trading Spaces: The Display Practices of an Early Modern Auction in Edinburgh in Pamela Bianchi (ed.), Displaying Art in the Early Modern Period, Exhibiting Practices and Exhibition Spaces. (London: Routledge, 2022).

Laurence-Allen, A. Home: the influence of Kellie Castle on the art of John Henry Lorimer in Cummings, E. (ed), Reflections: the light and life of John Henry Lorimer. (Edinburgh: Sansom, 2021).