The inventory of Michael Meyer’s property (1758) as a reflection of a Tallinn (Reval) merchant’s material world during the Age of the Enlightenment

Raimo Pullat,Tõnis Liibek

doi:10.23858/khkm69.2021.4.005

Abstract

The inventory of Tallinn merchant Michael Meyer’s (1704–1758) property is one of the largest inventories of an 18th century citizen of Tallinn. Almost the entire world of his possessions is reflected in this unique source. The inventory provides a comprehensive picture of his success, lifestyle, and hobbies, and the diverse list of household items provides a good idea of a prosperous merchant’s home in northeast Europe in the 18th century. The unique body of sources (Michael Meyer’s will, property inventory, and auction reports) provides comprehensive insight into the development of Tallinn’s material culture, i.e., the material culture history of Northern Europe, during the century of Enlightenment.

Highlights

The inventory provides a comprehensive picture of his success, lifestyle, and hobbies, and the diverse list of household items provides a good idea of a prosperous merchant’s home in northeast Europe in the 18th century
A comparative assessment of Michael Meyer’s assets and legacy can be made based on a number of studies on the material culture of Tallinners that have been published to date
We find a similar entry in merchant Martin Heinrich Bogemell’s inventory, which was compiled on 22 December 1758.42

Summary

Introduction

The rich collections of the Tallinn City Archives include the will and inventory of local merchant Michael Meyer’s property. The inventory of Meyer’s property is one of the largest inventories of an 18th century citizen of Tallinn, and provides a detailed overview of the deceased’s diverse possessions. A comparative assessment of Michael Meyer’s assets and legacy can be made based on a number of studies on the material culture of Tallinners that have been published to date. Seven volumes containing the property inventories of eighteenth-century Tallinn and Pärnu merchants, craftsmen and intelligentsia, edited by Raimo Pullat between 1997 and 2009, provide rich comparative material.. Articles and studies on eighteenth-century property inventories and material culture have been published in all the Baltic Sea countries and countries in the European cultural space, which enable the material heritage of Tallinn’s merchants to be viewed in the broader context of Western culture.

Michael Meyer — life and background

Michael Meyer’s property and wealth and his descendants

67. See also

Conclusions