Christina Riggs

@christinajriggs

Writer and historian: photography, art, archives, museums, colonialism (Egypt, Sudan). Chair in the History of Visual Culture @durhamhistory.bsky.social. Author of Treasured: How Tutankhamun Shaped a Century.

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Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· 26d

I’m in an archive! Which is in a museum! And has giant photos of giant bridges! Exciting. This is Goz Abu Goma bridge on the White Nile in #Sudan, built by the Cleveland Bridge Company, Middlesbrough - and a workforce including hundreds of Egyptians, Sudanese, West Africans, and Italians, too. 🗃️📜

Blue metal trolley in an archive room, with a large black and white photograph on top, and archival envelopes below. Photograph shows a bridge across a wide river.

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· 28d

Mitzi’s ability to get herself tucked in just so for nap times never fails to make me smile. 💙🐈🐈‍⬛ #cats #tinyjoys

Head of a black and white cat emerging from edge of a tan blanket lining, folded back over its blue velvet upper side. The cat is fast asleep. In background, a cast iron fireplace set in a chimney breast painted blue-green.

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· 28d

Nice things about British life, my occasional series: Colin from yoga class took Best in Show for his eggs again, this time at the Royal Yorkshire Show - and the price for his fellow yoginis is still a bargain £1.50/box. 🥚🪺🏆🙏

Egg box holding half a dozen eggs in alternate shades of buff and pale blue

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· 29d

May your #Caturday be light as a feather, like Mitzi’s. 💙🐈‍⬛🐈🪶

Long haired black and white cat with light green eyes, looking at camera from a cat perch, hand just visible holding white feather in front of her. Behind, glass of a window pane looking out on terracotta planter of sweet peas.

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· Jul 13

Online auction shopping as research and inspiration for an article I’m writing on photography and #railways in #Sudan in early years of the Anglo-Egyptian condominium; these are c 1912. The ‘Mikado’ (lower two), built in Darlington, carried 10 tons of coal - another British import. 🗃️#amwriting

Three cigarette cards, early 20th century, in plastic sleeves, each showing a chromolithograph colour image of a train engine and coal car on tracks. All, Sudan Government Railways.

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· Jul 9

Mitzi’s regular reminder to stay hydrated in the heat! 💙🐈‍⬛ #cats

Long haired black and white cat seated on a white kitchen counter next to a swan-necked silver tap with a thin stream of water waiting for her to drink. In the background a pale wall, wooden dining table, and glazed cupboard on the wall.

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· Jul 5

Slowly waking up. Perhaps she’s planning to stay up for the game. 💙🐈‍⬛🐈 #cats

Long haired black and white cat stretched on her back on sofa seat, against sofa back, front legs in air and head turned towards camera.

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· Jul 5

Mitzi has reached the clinging-onto-sofa-for-dear-life stage of her afternoon nap. 💙🐈‍⬛🐈 #cats

Long haired black and white cat seen from above, stretched out on seat of a light green sofa, turned towards the beige sofa back, with her front legs stretched upwards and paws extended.

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· Jun 14

I’m sure there was a cat around here just a moment ago. 💙🐈‍⬛

Cat cubby hole and scratcher, sitting on wooden floor in front of a window (to left) with plants just visible outside - and the long black fur of a cat plus one barely visible eye revealing that the cubby hole is occupied.

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· Jun 13

#Caturday evening looking more glamorous than usual thanks to this absolute queen. 💙🐈‍⬛ #cats (Con un po’ di fotografia e di Torino pure, grazie alla locandina …)

Long haired black and white cat seated on a wooden tallboy bureau with a mirrored jewellery box behind, pale curtains hanging at left, a blue-green painted wall, and a frame poster reprint with the image of a tripod-mounted camera in a blue-green frame with white text in Italian for the International Photography Optics and Cinematography Exposition, May-June 2023, Turin

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· Jun 8

Evening light after a good writing day #CountyDurham

Green valley with hills beyond, at midway point of picture plane, and above, blue sky with wisps of white cloud, and the sun still above the western horizon line

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· Jun 1

Come hear writers Damian Le Bas and John Henry Phillips in conversation @dulib.bsky.social with Alex Barber @durhamhistory.bsky.social and Becky Taylor (UEA) - all about GRT History Month. Plus a screening of 'A Basket Full of Eggs' - about finding Romani heritage in the archive. 🗃️📜 Details in ALT.

Poster for Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month 2026, announcing a conversation with Prof. Becky Taylor (UEA), Dr Alex Barber (Durham), Damien Le Bas, and John Henry-Phillips, followed by a screening of the film 'A Basket Full of Eggs' by Hazel Marsh and Lisa Smith.

Taking place at the Bill Bryson Library, Durham University, in the Elvet Room, Wednesday, June 3rd, 3 pm.

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· May 27

Cretan kitty from cat-themed camera roll. 😻😍

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· May 27

Several starlings nest near my house, giving Mitzi a chance to make new friends with the fledglings. 💙🐈‍⬛🐦‍⬛ #cats

Window seat with window on left, overlooking empty street and a field, and a young starling sitting on the ledge just outside the window. To right min patterned window seat cushion, long-haired black and white cat sits watching the bird, with paws stretched out in front of her towards the glass.

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· May 25

Actually the sheep wouldn’t mind a Negroni now, either. And cannot be convinced to eat the nettles.

Black-and-white faced sheep with shaggy white wool, looking up at the camera in a field of green grass while other sheep graze behind.

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· May 25

The sheep are satisfied with grass, but I’m having a Negroni - exam marking is done! 🗃️🥃

Hand raising a glass of red-brown liquid (a Negroni) with slice of orange, towards a green field with a few sheep in the distance, and the sun lowering in a pale blue sky towards the tree line in the distance.

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· May 13

The Met built a whole show around this coffin, which I saw in Nov 2018 while checking up on Harry Burton photo 📷 research. Below, my shot of the less glamorous, but no less important, lower part, showing the remains of oils and resin pooled inside where the wrapped, embalmed body once lay. 🏺📜

View through museum display case of the lower part of an ancient Egyptian coffin, plaster white inside, with cracked black resinous substance pooled in the lower part.

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· May 9

A wet #Caturday might be good for marking yet more essays, but it’s even better for playing with Mitzi’s new favourite toy - a corkscrew of felted wool that seems to alternate between being hunted like prey and licked like a kitten. I guess we are all multitasking. 🐈‍⬛💙 #cats

Long-haired black and white cat sitting on a desk with patterned letter tray to the left, an anglepoise lamp behind, and a computer screen to the right - plus a corkscrews-shaped felt cat toy prominently placed in the foreground.

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· May 5

My marking support animal is fully committed to her role, as always. Let the BA dissertations commence! 💙🐈‍⬛ #cats

View down onto a pink igloo-style cat bed with a glimpse of white-tipped black front paws stretched out in the opening.

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· Apr 29

Mitzi is still going strong, as is the catnip kicker toy. And at this point in the week, I’d gladly have what she’s having. 💙🐈‍⬛ #cats

Longhaired black and white cat lying on her side with a tubular felted wool toy between her front paws. On a green and white doormat over a wooden floor, with patio doors behind.

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· Apr 25

It’s an especially good #Caturday when there’s a new catnip kicker toy from the felted wool stall at Middleton-in-Teesdale’s monthly market. 💙🐈‍⬛ #cats

Long haired black and white cat sprawled on her back with legs up and fluffy white belly exposed, on a green and white patterned doormat over a wooden floor. Next to cat is a long, purple polka dot tube of felted wool - filled with cat nip.

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· Apr 24

Twins 19 and little number 35 are already on Saturday night, in fact. 🐑🐑

Three lambs in a country lane, nibbling at the hedge that borders it on the left side. Lane curves to the left with hills on horizon line and pale blue sky.

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· Apr 24

Number 25 and her twins have already started the weekend. Shouldn’t we all? 🐑

White sheep lying on green hill with number 25 painted on her side and two lambs standing beside her. Treeline at mid-horizon and clear blue sky above.

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· Apr 22

When Mitzi sits on my diary, that means the day’s to-do list is complete. No arguments. No last-minute email checks. No attempts to add a comment to a footnote. Done. 💙🐈‍⬛ #cats

Black and white cat, long haired with green eyes, sitting on an open weekly diary on a desk with computer screen just seen and pink curtains at a window behind

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· Apr 20

Brand new watching-the-blackbirds-build-a-nest observation post has been established. She asked nicely (and does not go near the blackbirds). 💙🐈‍⬛🐾 #cats

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· Apr 17

Haven't made it through all 41 essays for my Photographic Histories module (7 to go!), but it's a fantastic batch, and almost GenAI-free. It's great to see students take their feminist chops to Kodak and its advertising - helped by having handled my own Kodak pocket model at the start of term. 📷📸🗃️

A c. 1900 colur advertisement for the Eastman Kodak company. A tinted photograph of a young women in elaborate rose-topped hat, filmy parasol, striped dress, holding a Kodak camera case, is surrounded by illustrated roses and decorative flourishes, with the slogan 'Take a Kodak with you' in the centre of the ad, below the image. At the bottom, two photos of the No. 1 and No. 3 Kodak camera models, with marketing/technical information and prices.

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· Apr 14

The annual stock-check of the loo roll coincided with departure time for our vaccine appointment at the vet. Strange how these scheduling conflicts happen! 💙🐈‍⬛ #cats

Long haired black and white cat on white shelf near ceiling of a pale green-painted utility room, with stacks of brightly wrapped loo roll to right and an iron to the left.

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· Apr 11

National Pet Day *and* #Caturday together must mean more Dreamies? This definitely has Mitzi’s attention. 💙🐈‍⬛

Long-haired black and white cat standing on hind legs looking alert to something off camera to the left. One paw rests on green-patterned sofa. Patterned rug, wallpaper, and glass-topped coffee table just visible.

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· Apr 2

#CFP 🗃️📜🌍 The ASAUK 2026 conference takes place 10-12 September at Durham University. My amazing @durhamhistory.bsky.social colleague Dr Rachel Johnson invites paper or panel proposals on 'Stories of #Africa in #Durham, Durham in Africa'. Deadline 30 April via asauk.net #AfricanStudiesAssociation

Conference Stream: Stories of Africa in Durham, Durham in Africa
Stream Convenor: Durham University Centre for Contemporary African History (DUCCAH)

Contact: Dr Rachel E. Johnson Rachel.johnson2@durham.ac.uk
Please submit abstracts through the ASAUK portal by 30 April 2026

This stream explores the deep histories and interconnections between the North-East of England and the African continent. We ask what does it mean to discuss and narrate African pasts in Durham, from Durham and of Durham, in the North-East of England? We aim to explore Durham University’s own institutional connections, most prominently the affiliation with Fourah Bay College in Sierra Leone (1876-1967) and the location of the Sudan Archive within the University’s special collections. What are the legacies of these institutional connections and what effects might the (re)narration of these relationships carry? We are interested in efforts to uncover and narrate the traces and remains of African presence in Durham and the wider region, as well as stories of individual entanglements that cross the spaces and times between Africa and Durham, past and the present.

We hope this will make an invaluable contribution to the conference in inviting delegates to encounter and consider the histories of Durham’s African past.

We invite papers or panels that address:
• Fourah Bay College, the Sudan Archive, as well as the Africa materials and collections of regional museums and archives.
• The lives of individuals who have crossed the distance between the African continent and the North-East of England.
• Public-facing history or arts projects that have sought to uncover aspects of African presence in the North-East or address connected pasts.
• Social movements and political campaigns that have mobilised across and between the spaces of Africa and the North-East.
• The politics of naming, commemorating and materialising the histories of connected pasts.

Christina Riggs@christinajriggs· Apr 1

Mitzi says ditto