The collection of natural historian Johann Natterer
86
(1787–1843), a member of the Austrian
scientifi c expedition to Brazil (1817–1835),1 who
formed what is now known to be the most comprehensive
collection of Brazilian Indian material
culture of the early nineteenth century (fi g. 8),
was among those assembled within the context of
these expeditions. The circumnavigation by the
frigate Novara, undertaken by the Austro-Hungarian
Navy between 1857 and 1859, was also
the source for the acquisition of important material.
All of this was integrated into the holdings of
the Kaiserlich-königliches Hof Naturalien-Cabinet
(the Emperor’s Natural History Cabinet), an
institutional cradle of knowledge in the fi eld of
natural science.
The founding of the Naturhistorisches Museum
(Natural History Museum) ordered by Emperor
Franz Josef (1830–1916) in 1876 for the
purpose of consolidating the imperial collections,
marked a turning point. The ethnographic collection
would henceforth be on solid footing with
the creation of a department of anthropology and
ethnography as an integral part of the institution.
Thanks to this structure and to the efforts of the
museum’s fi rst director, Ferdinand von Hochstetter
(1829–1884), who showed a keen interest in
its development, and to the activities of Franz Heger
(1853–1931), the fi rst head curator, the collection
grew considerably. The number of inventoried
items in them went from 5,000 at the time
of the founding of the Naturhistorisches Museum
to more than 94,000 in 1918.
Many collectors made major contributions to
this remarkable expansion. Among them were
Emil Holub (1847–1902) and Rudolf Pöch
(1870–1921) for South African material; Archduke
FiG. 7 (left): Frontlet. mowachaht, nuu-chah-nulth
(nootka), nootka Bay, Vancouver island, British Columbia,
Canada. Before 1778.
Wood, haliotis shell, vegetal fi ber, sinew.
H: 12.5 cm.
Collected by James Cook.
Weltmuseum Wien, inv. 222.
Franz Ferdinand (1863–1914), who brought
back some 14,000 objects from his 1892–1893
trip around the world (fi g. 8, 10, and 11), especially
from India and Asia; Heinrich von Siebold
(1852–1908) for Japanese material; Andreas
Reischek (1845–1902) for a group of 467 Maori
artifacts that he acquired in New Zealand between
1877 and 1879 (fi g. 13); and Franz Heger
for the acquisition of objects from the Caucasus,
and his systematic purchases of old metal drums
from Southeast Asia (fi g. 12). Many more pieces
came into the museum thanks to donations made
by the aristocracy and the high bourgeoisie, often
in exchange for honors and offi cial decorations.
This was the case for the Benin bronzes that arrived
and were disseminated in Europe following
the plundering by British troops of the royal
palaces of Benin City in 1897 in what is now Nigeria.
Many today are part of the Weltmuseum’s
collection (fi gs. 14 and 15).
The Naturhistorisches Museum became too
small and cramped to house the ever-increasing
number of objects of its Anthropology and Ethnol-
FiG. 6 (left): Portrait mask.
nuu-chah-nulth (nootka),
British Columbia, Canada.
Before 1778.
Wood, resin, pigment. H: 28.7 cm.
Collected by James Cook.
Weltmuseum Wien, inv. 223.
FiG. 8 (right): View of the
gallery titled “Collecting
Craze. i suffer from
museomania!”
FiG. 9 (below): Cape.
munduruku, Rio tapajos,
Brazil. C. 1830.
Ara and mutum feathers, cotton.
l: 110 cm.
ex Johannes natterer.
Weltmuseum Wien, inv. 1295.
museum sPOtliGHt