The Derby Museum and Art Gallery on The Strand holds the world's largest collection of paintings by Joseph Wright of Derby, the 18th-century artist who became the unofficial painter of the Industrial Revolution. Wright's candlelit scenes of scientific experiments, iron forges, and philosophical gatherings capture the excitement of a moment when Derbyshire was at the centre of a world being remade. The paintings are not reproductions or secondary works — these are major canvases from a significant artist.
Beyond Wright, the museum holds strong natural history and archaeology collections, including Roman finds from the Derbyshire region and an extensive collection of Crown Derby porcelain, a distinctive local tradition of hand-painted bone china that has been made in the city since the 1750s. Admission is free.