Antiques Roadshow viewers expressed their displeasure after BBC expert Fuchsia Voremberg appeared to fold a page in a rare scrapbook during a repeat episode. The incident occurred while she was inspecting a book brought in by a woman, which had been passed down through generations.
Scrapbook from the 1890s
The scrapbook was originally created by the woman's great-great-uncle while he was in the army in India. Dating back to the 1890s, the family member was 19 when he made the book and sent it home to his mother as a Christmas gift, as reported by the Express.
During the inspection, Fuchsia noted that the book was an example of the Victorian phenomenon known as Fernmania, or Pteridomania. She explained that people would collect ferns, paint them, and then print them, which is what the great-great-uncle had done.
Viewers react to page folding
However, as the expert went through each page, viewers noticed that one of the protective layers had been folded back. Sharing their outrage on X, one person asked: "Anyone else just see her fold a page down when she turned to look at another page?"
One viewer replied: "Yes, very upsetting. Mind you, I thought she should just have closed the book as the wind was blowing everything about." Another wrote: "I thought she was leafing through the book rather carelessly the whole time, just waiting for an accident to happen."
Another commented, "Why don't they wear gloves?" Fortunately, the guest did not seem to notice what had happened as they continued their conversation.
Fuchsia praises the book
Fuchsia praised the book, stating it was a nice example of a young man sending home to his loved ones a piece of what he's seeing. She also highlighted a poignant aspect, sharing that ferns are associated with mourning, explaining it was as though he was creating a mourning album.
When it came to valuation, Fuchsia said the book could fetch £200 at auction. Although the woman called the figure 'wonderful' and 'fantastic', she revealed it was not going to be for sale.
Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
