The archive at the Ethnologisches Museum documents the creation and development of the largest collection of ethnological art and cultural objects in the German-speaking world. It represents an invaluable source for research into the history of ethnology in the German-speaking countries and for provenance research.
In 2018, a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) allowed for the digitisation of all the collection inventories, files, and other associated documentation currently held by the Ethnologisches Museum, dating from the year 1830 up until 1947. Between 2018 and 2024, a total of 1,603 historical documents were digitised and published online, amounting to 588,000 pages of material.
These digitised materials constitute one of the most completely preserved archival holdings within the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin network. As such, they are of use not only for research on topics relating to the history of the museum and its collection, but also for bettering understanding broader administrative procedures within the museum network and its predecessor, the Königliche Museen zu Berlin. In addition, due to a resolution from the German parliament in 1899, the collection played a central role in the history of objects from former German colonies. The resolution named the then Museum für Völkerkunde as one of the central collection points for natural- and cultural-historical objects from the colonies, together with other museums in Berlin. The written documentation of the acquisitions, exchanges, and payments made in this regard make it possible to trace the provenance of the collections of objects that were accessioned and handed over, and to reconstruct the colonial networks that existed at the time.
The documents that are now accessible to the public online include important written material and inventories that shed light on the often complicated context in which the collection was acquired. With this digitisation project, the Ethnologisches Museum is providing researchers with direct and independent access, regardless of their location, to the museum’s historical collection documentation. A near-complete reconstruction of the historical holdings of the collection is now available to all interested parties.
The index produced through this project offers a central point of access to the digitised holdings. In addition, the digitised documents and their associated data can be accessed via the online databank of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (German only).
Lead researcher: Dr. Dorothea Deterts
Project coordinator: Dr. Jonathan Fine (until 2021), Hendryk Ortlieb (from 2021)
Project participants: Mert Babaoglu (2018 to 2021), Alexandra Ebert (from 2023), Hendryk Ortlieb (2018 to 2021), Anja Zenner (2018 to 2020)
Funded by: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Duration: December 2018 to 2024