Harry Peach began collecting examples of cane work in about 1907 shortly after Dryad was set up, picking up baskets and other pieces in Britain and abroad. He wanted to provide examples of good quality craftwork to act as inspiration and to set standards for makers, teachers and students. It was an educational resource; every item in the collection was chosen to illustrate some detail of construction, use of materials or decoration. He and his circle of friends and associates collected craftwork from all over the world. One of his contacts was Joseph King; they bought items for each others' collections. Another contact, Dr Charles Hose, was a leading authority on Borneo who brought back items for the Dryad collection. Peach also bought items from missionary exhibitions and other shows. The collection expanded tremendously in the 1920s mirroring the growth of Dryad Handicrafts. Peach travelled abroad regularly and began adding weaves and braids to the collection. His interests were mirrored by a growing network of experts, new journals and folk museums as more scholarly approach to ethnographic studies developed in the 1920s.

Alongside the craft and ethnographic pieces were examples of good quality contemporary design. These included printed fabric lengths designed by Josef Hoffman for the Wiener Werkstatte, studio pottery by Bernard Leach and Charles Vyse, Poole Pottery, and small items of woodwork including pieces by Eric Sharpe and Gordon Russell Ltd. The collection also includes good examples of work by students from Mansfield Elementary School , Leicester School of Art, and Birmingham School of Art amoung others.

Items were displayed in the Dryad showrooms as they were acquired for the collection. The rarest and most valuable items were kept for exhibition only, others went into the loan collection.

 

The Handicrafts collection continued to be used by Dryad until 1969 when it was presented to the Schools Service of Leicester Museum.