Before the early 19th century, workers had limited interaction with material culture outside their immediate homes and workplaces. The establishment of mechanics institutes, lyceums and schools of arts from the 1820s significantly broadened possibilities to experience exotic material. Through lecture coures they could come into contact with collections of natural history, minerals, philosophical instruments and sometimes art productions. Many of the institutes established their own museums and set up temporary exhibitions on a regular basis. From mid-century came the international exhibitions which workers attended in large numbers (some disgruntled artisans, feeling that they had not received the credit they deserved for creating the objects displayed, got together and established exhibitions of their own). Public museums were established, often with clear educational agendas, though access to them was not always straightforward for working people, with locations and opening hours often acting as disincentives. In fact, these new museums frequently led to the decline of the mechanics museums. However, there can be no doubt that the experiences available and opportunities taken vastly increased over a fifty year period. The paper will consider not only the British situation; references will also be made to similar movements in North America and Australia.