A new exhibition at the University of Leeds will explore the history of vampires through rare manuscripts, Gothic literature and historical artefacts, examining how these legendary creatures have reflected society’s fears and fascinations across the centuries.
Quite Shameless: Cultural Reflections on the Vampire opens at Treasures of the Brotherton on Tuesday 27 October 2026, bringing together material from 14 university subject collections to trace the vampire from medieval folklore to modern popular culture.
Highlights include correspondence and manuscripts relating to Dracula author Bram Stoker. Visitors can also see an original manuscript of Lord Byron’s unfinished Fragment of a Novel, an early work associated with the development of the literary vampire, alongside material relating to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and John Polidori’s The Vampyre.
The exhibition explores the vampire’s influence beyond literature, featuring playbills and photographs from Hamilton Deane’s stage adaptation of Dracula, which arrived at Leeds Grand Theatre in 1927, as well as costume and set designs from Northern Ballet’s 1996 production.
Image Credit: University of Leeds Cultural Collections
Yorkshire’s connections to vampire folklore appear in archaeological findings from Wharram Percy and medieval accounts of the dead returning to life. The exhibition also examines how the vampire has been linked to changing attitudes towards sexuality, disease and social exclusion, including material relating to the AIDS crisis of the 1980s.
Exhibition curator Dr RJ Wade said: “Together, we have quite shamelessly created an exhibition that is unmistakably rooted in Leeds, drawing on collections of international significance.”
Literary Archivist and co-curator Sarah Prescott said: “The vampire is unlike other monsters: it frightens and fascinates us.”
Image Credit: Leeds School of Dentistry Dental Museum
“We hope the exhibition has something for the enthusiast and newcomer alike – and anyone who can understand the ‘pleasing terror’ of a scary story.”
The exhibition aims to appeal to both dedicated Gothic literature enthusiasts and visitors interested in discovering how vampire stories have developed over time.
Visitor information
Quite Shameless: Cultural Reflections on the Vampire runs from Tuesday 27 October 2026 to Saturday 29 May 2027 at Treasures of the Brotherton, Parkinson Building, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9JT.
Admission is free, with no booking required for general visits. The gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday, from 10am to 5pm. An opening event will take place from 5.30pm on Tuesday 27 October.
For further information, visit the official University of Leeds exhibition page.
Featured Image Credit: University of Leeds
