Museum Berlin Research Articles

Zygmunt Mineyko (1840-1925) i poszukiwanie starożytnej Dodony

Zygmunt Mineyko (1840 –1925) and the Discovery of Ancient Dodona The text is devoted to Zygmunt Mineyko – a participant of the 1863 January Uprising, who had to look for safety in Western Europe after the collapse of the patriotic insurrection and the resulting repressions. Having acquired relevant professional qualifications in France, Mineyko worked as a specialist in civil engineering in the vast territory of the Ottoman Empire. In the years 1875–1876, working in the north-western part of Greece (Epirus), he managed to identify the location of Dodona – the main ancient sanctuary of Zeus. Due to the shortage of funds, he accepted financial support from a rich Greek Konstantinos Karapanos. In 1878, Karapanos issued a publication in Paris in which he attributed the discovery of the sanctuary and the results of work entirely to himself, mentioning only briefly Mineyko as his assistant engineer. From that moment on, Mineyko started to strive for the acknowledgement of his rights as a discoverer. His actions were not always effective, but the essential argument still laid in his hands. The most important historic items still belonged to him, as they had been discovered already at the time when he carried on the search by himself. A particularly valuable group of these objects (the famous group of the “Dodona bronzes”) was sold to the Museum in Berlin via his eldest daughter and sonin-law Ludwik Karol Potocki only in 1904. The text quotes also archive materials from the collection of the Academy of Arts and Sciences that were drawn up in 1877; Mineyko tried to arouse interest in his discovery also by presenting it directly to Polish experts in ancient history. Within the scope of the activity of the Archaeological Commission, on the basis of materials submitted by Mineyko, Professor Marian Sokołowski prepared a long report, defending Mineyko’s rights to the discovery (the text was published in the subsequent year).

Renesansowe zbroje płytowe z napierśnikiem bombiastym w dawnym księstwie pomorskim w świetle wybranych zabytków sztuki

The article discussed eleven works of art with images of the most prominent men of the Duchy of Pomerania, shown in suits of armour, which were among the most impressive types of wear of the epoch. All the images are reliefs, ten of them carved in stone (Figures 1–4, 6–11; Catalogue no. 1–4, 6–11) and one in wood (Fig. 5a–5b; Cat. no. 5). Three are foundation plaques (Fig. 1–2, 8; Cat. no. 1–2, 8), seven are tombstones (Fig. 3–4, 6–7, 9–11; Cat. no. 3–4, 6–7, 9–11) and one is an epitaph (Fig. 5a–5b; Cat. no. 5). Three show dukes of Pomerania (Fig. 1–2, 5a–5b; Cat. no. 1–2, 5) and eight — Pomeranian nobles (Fig. 3–4, 6–11; Cat. no. 3–4, 6–11). Eight have survived until today (Fig. 1–3, 7–11; Cat. no. 1–3, 7–11), while the remaining three are known from archival photographs (Fig. 4–6; Cat. no. 4–6). All were intended for places treated as family memorials, such as residences or churches. Of the surviving reliefs five remain in their original locations (Fig. 3, 8–11; Cat. no. 3, 8–11) and three have been transferred (Fig. 1–2, 7; Cat. no. 1–2, 7). The images discussed in this article provide a starting point for research on plate armour in Pomerania in the early decades of the 16th century. All the figures are shown in plate armour with a deep–bellied breastplate, some of them in the most characteristic richly decorated Maximilian suits of armour, which reflected the men’s fashion of the time. Maximilian armour is depicted in four of the cases analysed (Cat. no. 1–3, 6). Another type of armour used at the time had similarly harmonious proportions but was plain (Cat. no. 4, 7–11). The first one of these has a tucked skirt. One of the reliefs shows a costume suit of armour (Cat. no. 5). The analysed iconographic sources bring valuable data on historical armour. The plate armour in the epitaph of Duke Boguslaw X is represented in such detail that it was possible to compare it with a costume suit of armour preserved in Deutsche Historisches Museum in Berlin (inventory no. W 2327) and to conclude that the latter is the armour that used to belong to the Pomeranian Duke and was brought to Berlin in 1731 by King Frederic William I of Prussia.

Provisional identification of historical grasswren (Amytornis: Maluridae) specimens in European collections draws attention to the incomplete phylogeny of the group

The phylogeny and systematics of grasswrens Amytornis species are incompletely resolved, in particular for three widely distributed members of the genus. In part this is a consequence of the dispersal to European and North American collections of early specimens of now extinct populations. We describe three historical grasswren specimens from museums in Berlin and Stockholm, all of which represent taxa for which phylogenetic and / or other data are incomplete. We further identify other specimens that might contribute towards greater resolution of grasswren phylogeny.

Exhibiting Trauma: The Berlin Painting and Sculpture Collections Seventy Years after World War II, a Curatorial Reflection

For the Berlin Museums, the memory of May 1945 is linked to the loss of objects from their collections. In the days just before and after the end of the war, two fires in a bunker destroyed countless works of art that had been stored there for safekeeping. Over the course of 1945, large parts of the museum holdings came under control of the Allies. The majority of these works only returned to the then-divided Berlin in the 1950s. The effects of the war and the postwar period on the collections of the Berlin Museums are felt to this day. The Gemäldegalerie lost about four hundred paintings, the Skulpturensammlung a third of its holdings. Among the works that did return, many were severely damaged.

Kendzia, Victoria Bishop (2017), <em>Visitors tot he House of Memory. Identity and the Political Education at the Jewish Museum Berlin.</em> Col. “Museum and Collections”, 9. New York-Oxford: Berghahn, 174 pp. ISBN: 978-1-78533-639-3.

Kendzia, Victoria Bishop (2017), Visitors tot he House of Memory. Identity and the Political Education at the Jewish Museum Berlin. Col. “Museum and Collections”, 9. New York-Oxford: Berghahn, 174 pp. ISBN: 978-1-78533-639-3. 978-1-78533-640-9 (eBook).

El museo judío de Berlín: El espacio, el acontecimiento y el Vacío

<p>En este artículo se estudia el Museo Judío de Berlín, de Daniel Libeskind –en particular la Torre del Holocausto– desde la idea del “acontecimiento” del filósofo francés Jean-François Lyotard y su discusión con la categoría estética de lo sublime del empirista Edmund Burke. Se trata de analizar las afectaciones sensibles que provocan ciertas experiencias en los sujetos y sus implicaciones políticas y sociales.</p>

2018 Barringer Medal for Thomas Kenkmann

2018 Barringer Medal for Thomas Kenkmann

Obituary for a brilliant materials scientist—on Klaus Thoma's death

On June 9, 2018, Prof. Dr. Klaus Thoma passed away at the age of 68 after a pulmonary embolism. His sudden death leaves a huge void for us. Until his retirement in 2014, Klaus Thoma was the director of the Fraunhofer-Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institute (EMI) in Germany. He characteristically shaped EMI over almost 20 years. Klaus Thoma was an internationally renowned scientist, expert in experimental and computational dynamic materials research, and mentor and promoter for generations of scientists. He was a visionary leader, indefatigably identifying and shaping new topics in materials research and associated applications. He inspired countless people from inside and outside the institute with his passionate way of tackling scientific problems and technological challenges. At the time when Klaus Thoma became director of the Ernst-Mach-Institute in 1996, EMI was mainly known for its experimental capabilities in dynamic materials research and specifically so for defense applications. At EMI, large and unique test facilities were already established for the investigation of the strain-rate-dependent mechanical behavior of materials and shock wave physics. Having a profound international expertise in the development and application of wave propagation codes, Klaus Thoma early on perceived the strategic opportunity of integrating those experiments with the upcoming numerical simulation methodologies for transient processes. He strongly expanded the experimental material testing capabilities of EMI for various fields of applications and laid the foundation for new experimental and numerical approaches in geoscientific dynamic material research and impact cratering research. For the characterization of the shock behavior of materials at extreme conditions flyer plate test facilities are used. This technique is ideally suited to investigate shock metamorphism in minerals and rocks. Recognizing the significance of this technique for crater research, Dieter Stöffler and co-workers started to cooperate with EMI in the early 1970s in the field of experimental investigation of shock behavior of rock-forming minerals such as quartz, feldspar, or olivine. EMI's explosively driven flyer plate method allowed the recovery of the specimen, and led to development of the widely used scheme of progressive shock metamorphism of minerals. Based on a long-lasting cooperation with researchers from the Museum of Natural History Berlin, Klaus Thoma soon recognized that by combining the strengths of EMI in the field of experimental impact testing capabilities with the expertise of cratering research in rocks, a new and comprehensive joint research topic could be initiated, dedicated to the investigation of natural crater formation at the laboratory scale. With EMI internal research funds, Klaus Thoma performed two pilot impact tests on large sandstone blocks on EMI's extra-large two-stage light gas gun during a joint pilot test phase. This prefeasibility study was key for the foundation of the DFG-funded research unit MEMIN—Multidisciplinary Experimental and Modeling Impact crater research network—in 2009, with Thomas Kenkmann as speaker and Klaus Thoma as well as Alex Deutsch as co-speakers. The two-stage light gas guns of EMI played a pivotal role for cratering research within MEMIN, since they allowed reaching previously not achieved crater dimensions at laboratory scales. The purpose of MEMIN was to comprehensively quantify impact processes in various lithologies under lab conditions. After Thomas Kenkmann became Chair of Geology at the Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources at Albert-Ludwigs-University (ALU) of Freiburg in 2010, the close cooperation between ALU and EMI further fertilized crater research: The German Research Foundation (DFG) subsequently also funded MEMIN Phase II, some results of which are published in the August 2018 special issue of MAPS. Klaus Thoma was a brilliant scientist and a gifted research manager. For us, having known and interacted with Klaus Thoma so closely was a great privilege. His visionary thinking, commitment, and persistence made MEMIN possible. This is his heritage in geosciences!

La colección arqueológica ?Pedro Dade? del Museo de La Plata

En este trabajo se da a conocer el análisis de una colección de materiales arqueológicos provenientes de la costa norte de la provincia de Santa Cruz (Patagonia argentina) que se encuentra alojada en la División Arqueología del Museo de La Plata, Argentina. Las piezas que conforman la colección fueron recolectadas por el Señor Pedro Dade, capitán de navío alemán y agente secreto del gobierno de Alemania durante la Primera Guerra Mundial. P. Dade junto a su esposa vivieron en el territorio patagónico durante los años 1928 a 1932, y fueron ellos quienes realizaron las tareas de recolección de materiales arqueológicos en el sector costero de Santa Cruz gracias al financiamiento otorgado por el Museo de La Plata. En este trabajo se presenta una caracterización general de los materiales que componen la colección Pedro Dade, formada por 7366 artefactos. Además se lleva a cabo el análisis de los documentos archivísticos asociados que permitieron reconstruir diversos aspectos acerca de cómo se generó esta colección. Por otro lado, fue posible rastrear e identificar otros materiales precedentes de la misma área de Patagonia que fueron vendidos por P. Dade al Museo Nacional de Copenhague, en Dinamarca y al Museo Etnográfico de Berlín, en Alemania. Se realiza una breve descripción de estos objetos y se menciona la existencia de más piezas recolectadas por P. Dade alojadas en el Museo de Culturas del Mundo, en la ciudad de Gotemburgo, Suecia, y en el Museo Nacional en Viena, Austria. Se resalta el valor patrimonial y el potencial informativo de las colecciones arqueológicas para reconstruir aspectos de los grupos humanos que habitaron en el pasado.

Catching up with Archives – Disaster Preparedness and the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Berlin Museums

Cultural property can be lost in an instant - when disaster strikes, museum objects, archival material and other heritage items are in high danger of being damaged or lost in great numbers. To mitigate the effects of fire, flooding, earthquakes or even war, preparation for these incidents are needed during "times of peace", to use the terms of the Hague Convention. For museums and other institutions holding cultural property, this results in an obligation to run a risk assessment, to establish a disaster plan for their collections, and to link up with the local fire department or emergency services unit in preparation for the next emergency. Nevertheless, every hand is needed to recover objects from an institution after it was affected by a disaster in order to provide initial treatment as soon as possible. This necessity resulted, as in other countries, in the formation of networks of mutual assistance in Germany. In 1997, following the Oder-River flooding in the state of Brandenburg, the archives of Berlin and Brandenburg came together to initiate such a network. This, however, is exclusive to archives and has not opened up to museums. Berlin museums, on the other hand, were slower in forming such a network. Being a city with more than 175 museums and a history full of smaller and larger disasters not only to cultural institutions, it is hard to conceive why this notion did not gain ground earlier. It was only after a working group under the heads of administration in the Berlin Museum Association had been established that a network for museums was initiated and a co-operation agreement was drafted. This agreement is the basis for a new network of museums of various sizes and types, with the Museum für Naturkunde as one of the founding partners. This presentation explores disaster preparedness activities at the Museum für Naturkunde, with its 30 million objects, as well as the work of the new museum network for disaster preparedness.

Pulling the Past into the Present: Curating Islamic Art in a Changing World, a Perspective from Berlin

Abstract Demographic and social change presents museums with challenges at various levels. Islam has become a core referent in public discourse, which often also affects views of collective identity and personal political stances in fundamental ways. The dominant place of Islam in global debate does not stop at the doors of our museums. The main thesis of this article is that exhibitions of Islamic art are, whether we like it or not, sites of identity negotiation where relations to ‘me and my world’ are established. This article takes a closer look at the process of identity formation in regard to contemporary museum politics. It asks questions such as, ‘In what ways do the social dynamics surrounding the subject of Islam function, and how do these impact museum spaces?’; ‘What role do museums have in these emerging dynamics?’; and ‘How do curators respond to the shifting needs of visitors?’ The classical layout and communication strategies of Islamic art collections were often insufficiently framed to address these layered concerns, despite curators’ knowledge of the rich diversity of Islamicate histories. During the last few years, however, different curatorial teams have struggled to discover better techniques and narratives for this diversity. The Berlin Museum contains one such team, and the second part of this article outlines some of their new approaches.

A Plant Based Artefact as a Document of War. Conservation and Preservation of a Wreath made of Yellow Everlasting and Purging Flax, Found on a Warsaw Insurgent’s Grave

Within the collection of the Warsaw Rising Museum there are thousands of historic objects relating to the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. Among ‘typical’ items such as weapons, archival documents and photographs, one can also find unusual souvenirs made of bread, horse hair, animal bones or plant material. One extraordinary item is a wreath found on the Warsaw insurgent’s grave. The wreath was made using yellow everlasting (Helichrysum fulgidum var. nanum or Helichrysum aureum) and purging flax (Linum catharticum) on a frame of steel wire. In 2005 the object was to be exhibited in the Deutsches Historisches Museum (Berlin, Germany) and required conservation assessment. The object required immediate intervention. The wreath was covered with dust and ingrained dirt. The flowers were friable and partially disintegrated. There were some loose fragments of flowers that had detached from the whole construction. The conservation treatment endeavoured to stabilise, consolidate and reinforce the weakened elements. The wreath was dry cleaned with a delicate soft brush. Loose fragments served as samples to test the consolidation materials. Initial tests involved Paraloid B-72, frequently used to reinforce ethnographic plant-based artefacts, applied with brush. During application the solution formed clumps and would leave crystal-like residues. Moreover, the application with a brush turned out to be too invasive for the flower structure and risked disintegrating the plant material. Therefore further tests requiring the use of a brush were ruled out. It also excluded testing consolidants such as methyl cellulose. Given our capacity at that time, it was decided that a consolidant that may be applied as a sprayed solution would be used. At that time our conservation studio was not equipped with an ultrasonic nebuliser. We used another detached flower fragment to test the fixative, commonly used for drawings, pastels and watercolours. The product, available as a spray solution, consists of ketonic resin, castor oil and alcohol. Tests gave satisfying results in the reinforcement of the flower and limited the accumulation of dirt. The fixative was then used to reinforce the whole wreath. The wreath was placed in a purpose designed perspex box that served as both storage box and display case. The wreath was safely transported to Berlin where it was displayed for the next three years. After it was returned to the Warsaw Rising Museum, the condition assessment revealed that there were no changes in the artefact structure. Since then the wreath has been successfully exhibited in the permanent exhibition at the Warsaw Rising Museum.

Between Fakes, Forgeries, and Illicit Artifacts—Authenticity Studies in a Heritage Science Laboratory

Since its inauguration in 1888, the Rathgen Research Laboratory of the National Museums in Berlin has been challenged by authenticity questions on cultural heritage objects. In the setting of an ever-growing market, often intertwined with the increasing global impact of illicit traffic, scientific investigations can contribute equally to art-historical, or archaeological expertise when solving questions of authenticity, and should therefore always be included when significant values are at stake. Looted or stolen artifacts, copies, fakes, and forgeries have been an intrinsic element of the market since ever, and only selectively addressed in a trans-disciplinary, more holistic way. This paper makes the case for a reliable, state-of-the-art analysis and illustrates the potential benefits of such a scientific approach to authenticity questions in selected examples: 1. the case of German art forger, Wolfgang Beltracchi; 2. brass objects of alleged Benin and Ife provenance.

Detetive paleontológico: o destino dos fósseis de plantas do Geopark Araripe como ferramenta para o ensino das Geociências

The goal of this work is to present a catalogue of fossil plants collected in Geopark Araripe and a educational game based on it. We indicated the macrofossils depositories of that Geopark, aiming to facilitate further Paleobotanic studies and to spread the scientific divulgation of this important paleoflora. We based the catalogue on bibliographic and scientific databases research. We found 140 specimens belonging to 34 clades (taxonomic groups). Most of the plant fossils collected in the mentioned Geopark is deposited at Natural History Museum of Berlin, followed by Institute of Geosciences of University of São Paulo. The catalogue was used to develop a “PERFIL®” style game, intended for elementary students. This game explores concepts of interpretation, logic, biology and Geosciences knowledge from a interdisciplinar perspective. This is achieved using hints to relate the fossil history with the taxon evolution and the museum where the fossil is deposited. Finally, we hope to contribute to divulgation and conservation of the botanical fossil records from that Geopark.

Discovery of a rare hybrid specimen known as Maria’s bird of paradise at the Staatliches Naturhistorisches Museum in Braunschweig

The discovery of a rare hybrid specimen of Maria’s bird of paradise (Paradisaeamaria, i.e., P.guilielmi × P.raggianaaugustaevictoriae) in the ornithological collection of the Staatliches Naturhistorisches Museum in Braunschweig (SNMB) is reported. Until today only six male specimens (deposited in the natural history museums in Berlin and New York) and presumably one female have been identified in collections world-wide. The male specimen in Braunschweig corresponds well in its plumage colouration with an historical illustration and photographs of the original type specimen from the 19th century housed at the Berlin collection. It shows intermediate characteristics between both parental species, viz. the Emperor bird of paradise (P.guilielmi) and the Raggiana bird of paradise (P.raggianaaugustaevictoriae). In addition, we try to elucidate the circumstances how this rare specimen of hybrid origin, which formerly belonged to the natural history collection of the factory owner Walter Behrens from Bad Harzburg, came to the SNMB. Our unexpected discovery highlights the importance to maintain, support and study also smaller private natural history collections, since they may house historical voucher specimens of high scientific value.

The herbarium of Ignaz Dörfler in Berlin

The herbarium of Ignaz Dorfler (1866–1950), an Austrian botanist, plant collector and trader, was acquired by the Botanical Museum Berlin (B) in 1990 and has now been incorporated into the general herbarium. Dorfler's herbarium comprises c. 5500 specimens, including 203 types, almost exclusively collected by himself on the Balkan Peninsula and in Central Europe. The type material is listed in detail and 21 names are lectotypified. In addition, a brief biography of Dorfler is presented.

Experiencing memory museums in Berlin. The Otto Weidt Workshop for the Blind Museum and the Jewish Museum Berlin

This article explores memory studies from the audience’s perspective, focusing on the perception of Holocaust narratives in two museums in Berlin. This research builds on and contributes to a number of emerging issues on memory studies, tourism perception and museum design: the debate on experiential authenticity, Dark Tourism, as well as the analysis of memory studies from the perspective of the user. The main data facilitating the analysis is based on responses shared on TripAdvisor; the case studies being the Otto Weidt Workshop for the Blind Museum and the Jewish Museum Berlin. The analysis of these museums, focusing on their narratives, design features and comments from visitors, will highlight a potential shift from the traditional object-focused museum, to a phenomenological subject-focused one. It will be argued, then, that the understanding and consumption of authenticity encompasses a very flexible definition, not only based on the nature of the objects exhibited, but on the production of authentic experiences.

Aspirin: 120 years of innovation. A report from the 2017 Scientific Conference of the International Aspirin Foundation, 14 September 2017, Charité, Berlin.

Acetylsalicylic acid was first synthesised by Dr FeIix Hoffman on 10th August 1897 and Aspirin was born. It quickly became the best-known pain killer in the world and in the 120 years since this event, aspirin has continued to attract interest, innovation and excitement. Set within the walls of the preserved ruins of Rudolf Virchow’s lecture hall at Charité, within Berlin’s Museum of Medical History, the International Aspirin Foundation’s 28th Scientific Conference served to facilitate international, multi-disease, multidisciplinary discussion about the current understanding of aspirin’s mechanisms of action and its utility in modern medicine as well as ideas for future research into its multifaceted applications to enhance global health.In addition to the delegates in Berlin, 300 medical doctors at the 19th Annual Scientific Congress of the Chinese Society of Cardiology were able to join the cardiology sessions from Taiyuan, Shangxi province via a live streaming link to and from China. This led to useful discussion and allowed a truly international perspective to the meeting.

President's Letter

I am happy to report that the 2017 IASA conference at the Ethnological Museum in Berlin, Germany was a great success. The conference theme ‘Integration and Innovation: Bringing Workflows and Formats Together in the Digital Era’ lived up to its name by providing valuable discourse concerning the ongoing developments within sound and audiovisual collections. This conference also marked the transition of the Executive Board as 2017 was an election year, and it is my pleasure to write my first presidential message in the IASA Journal. Joining me, as the other new member on the Executive Board, is Zane Grosa, who has taken the role of vice president of conferences.
 I would like to take this opportunity to thank Bruce Gordon for his tireless work as vice president of conferences as he leaves the Executive Board. With his coordination and programming, IASA hosted six highly successful conferences in Delhi, Vilnius, Cape Town, Paris, Washington, and Berlin. We owe Bruce a great deal of gratitude for his hard work and we look forward to his continued involvement in IASA.
 I personally want to thank Ilse Assmann for guiding IASA for the last three years as president. I am extremely grateful that she stays on the Executive Board as past president, as her guidance and mentoring will be valuable to the success and continuity of the organization. Under her leadership, IASA remains financially strong, authoritatively empowered, and forward thinking.
 I am also grateful for continuing Executive Board members, who stepped up for another term to lead this organization: Judith Gray, Lynn Johnson, Bertram Lyons, Pio Pellizzari, Richard Ranft, and Tommy Sjöberg. Their capable service and commitment to the organization ensures a healthy organization.
 I would like to talk about three highlighted initiatives that are vital to IASA.
 The Ambassador Programme was launched at the Berlin conference, which will serve to “increase awareness of IASA and its work, to promote membership, to mentor new and prospective members, and to help build IASA’s profile (https://www.iasa-web.org/ambassador-programme).” We start the program with five Ambassadors:
 
 Filip Šír, Czech Republic (Ambassador Programme Coordinator)
 Gisa Jähnichen, China, Malaysia
 Judith Opoku-Boateng, Ghana, West Africa
 Perla Olivia Rodríguez Reséndiz, Mexico and Latin America
 Maria del Carmen Ordoño Vidaña, Mexico
 
 We look forward to their leadership in propelling this program across the globe.
 Initiated at the Washington Conference and spearheaded by Will Prentice, the Training Taskforce was a yearlong investigation into ways IASA could identify audiovisual training needs and to create recommendations for addressing those needs. Now posted in the Training & Education Committee Forum for members to read (https://www.iasa-web.org/forums/sections-committees-branches/training-and-educational-committee-forum), the final report serves as a framework for future training efforts, which are identified as a priority both in the field of audiovisual preservation and within IASA’s membership.
 The Diversity Task Force, led by Judith Opoku-Boateng, met in Berlin to explore the notion of diversity within IASA and how it affects the organization. The discussion that was initiated in this meeting continued throughout the conference, as the topic engaged our delegates who demonstrated the value of our collective voices through the quality of the conference programme.
 I firmly believe that these three initiatives are interrelated and provide the catalyst for IASA’s growth as an organization. We will be using the Ambassador Programme and training opportunities in a coordinated fashion to insure an open and diverse IASA. We preserve sound and audiovisual materials so that all stories can be told.
 As we work towards that end, I invite you to join us in Accra, Ghana for the 49th IASA Conference, 1–4 October, 2018. The Institute of African Studies (IAS) at the University of Ghana will host what is sure to a be a powerful and memorable conference.
 Toby Seay IASA President January 2018

Call Me Angakkuq: Captain George Comer and the Inuit of Qatiktalik

Through many years of dedicated fieldwork in the Canadian Arctic, Captain George Comer laid a solid foundation for the future of museum anthropology. With the support of Franz Boas, Captain Comer—a New England whaling master with little formal schooling—assembled an extensive collection of Inuit ethnographic and archaeological artifacts, photographs, sound recordings, and natural history specimens for the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, as well as major museums in Berlin, Ottawa, and Philadelphia. This article examines a remarkable segment of that collection, the production of Inuit facial casts—portraits of over two hundred men, women, and children—created by Comer at Qatiktalik (Cape Fullerton), a whaling site on the west coast of Hudson Bay. In tandem with photographs taken by Comer, Geraldine Moodie, and others at the time, these facial casts comprise a vital chapter of Inuit social history, preserving the memory of individuals and families who lived, worked, and traded at Qatiktalik. Accompanied by detailed biographical documentation prepared by Captain Comer, this extraordinary collection acknowledges the significance of personhood, a key concept in modern anthropological theory, and provides meaningful insight into the early social, cultural, and political history of Nunavut in the Canadian Arctic.