Abstract
ABSTRACT Late-Victorian banker and private collector Lionel Walter Rothschild (1868–1937) dedicated his life to the study of zoology. He collected and studied huge quantities of zoological material, created a museum in which to house and display that material for the benefit of researchers and visiting publics, and started his own zoological journal for disseminating the research that he, his museum curators and other zoologists performed. Together, these activities constituted his ‘zoological enterprise’; the building of which depended on a constant stream of financial transactions. However, little consideration has been given to how money shaped its development. A focus on money and analysis of the surviving archival evidence of Rothschild’s financial transactions provides a novel methodology by which to explore his motives for the development of his zoological enterprise and the value he placed on its different parts. The argument is made that money is more than the merely pecuniary and that the approach of ‘following the money’ can therefore enhance our understanding of why museums, and enterprises like Rothschild’s, took the form and shape that they did.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.