The African Traveler Hans Schomburgk - Collecting to Show. Acquisition Contexts of Ethnological Objects in the First Half of the 20th Century

Based on the holdings of ethnological objects in four collections (Castle Querfurt Museum, Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography Leipzig, MARKK, Ethnological Museum Berlin), the project aims to explore the contexts of Hans Schomburgk's (1880-1967) acquisition of ethnographica in different regions in Africa between 1897 and 1958. Schomburgk travelled to Africa in various capacities - as a military officer, big game hunter and animal trapper, explorer, animal or documentary filmmaker. His collecting activities were not the decisive reason for his travels, but they were an important aspect, especially during his journeys as a documentary filmmaker. For a reconstruction of the collecting activities, it is therefore necessary to include his activities as an animal trapper and documentary filmmaker, insofar as they provide conclusions about the provenance of the objects to be researched. Investigating Schomburgk's activities is not only highly relevant because he was one of the most active mediators of knowledge about Africa, but also because a connection in his collecting of ethnographies, naturalia and film footage is evident that has hardly been investigated in detail so far. The contexts of the collections are explored in dialogue with representatives of the societies of origin, with a focus on Liberia.

Museumsverband Sachsen-Anhalt e.V.