Colonial Collections Consortium
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Doing research

What steps can you follow?

Provenance research can be approached in various ways. Depending on the purpose of your research, you will go through one or more of the steps below. In practice, these steps often overlap and can be carried out simultaneously. Many possible research steps are described in detail in the report Clues; Research into provenance history and significance of cultural objects and collections acquired in colonial situations. Other reference works are listed at the bottom of this research aid.

Step 1: Collection research

For collection managers:

  • Which parts of the collection and periods of collecting are relevant for further research?
  • What information can be added for the larger parts of the collection?

For researchers:

  • Which collections are of particular interest and where did the objects you researched typically tended to end up?
  • Which individuals or institutions played a role in the object's moves?

For more information about this step, please consult the research aid Select and delineate.

Step 2: General research

  • Examining the object itself. This includes researching the object's origin in through traces of use, serial numbers and identification stickers, and identifying its function and geographical and cultural origin.
  • Consulting the collection documentation available, both digitally and on paper.
  • Identifying from whom the current owner acquired the object, when and how.
  • Research concerning the institution or person from whom the object was acquired, intended to establish their identity, such as their full name, year of birth and death, profession and place of residence.

Step 2: Further research

In most cases, general research will not lead to information about how the object was acquired in its region of origin. This requires further research.

The general research may reveal one or more individuals or organisations connected to the acquisition of the object. A common method is to continue the investigation by firstly researching these individuals or organisations and then working back in time using the information that emerges from the sources. Another method starts with the object itself and the knowledge that communities of origin have regarding it, and works forward in time from there. Both methods can include one or more of the following steps:

  • Research into previous owners and custodians.
  • Research into the method of acquisition in the colonial context and the broader context in which this took place.
  • Research into the previous usage of the object.
  • Consultation with communities of origin and other experts.

Research into the origin of individual objects can be time-consuming. The research can be conducted quicker if multiple objects were acquired at the same time. This is especially true if multiple objects are mentioned in the available source material.

How do you obtain information?

Provenance research into objects acquired in a colonial context makes use of a very diverse range of sources. In the past, little or no importance was accorded to information about the provenance and former owners of objects. Also, many of the relevant objects have little unique identifying values. The information accompanying the object is often brief and not focused on the origin of the object. Research should therefore be broader than looking at documents that contain information about previous owners, such as wills, inventories and auction catalogs. In addition to archives, oral sources such as experts from inside and outside the communities of origin can be valuable.

The obvious course of action is to consult the archives of all the institutions and persons who have owned or managed the object over time. Sources related to the events surrounding the acquisition may also be of interest. Tips for searching Dutch archives can be found on the website of the Kennisnetwerk Informatie en Archief (in Dutch). Specifically for the Dutch National Archives, the research aid How do I conduct archival research? (in Dutch) was created.

Possible sources are:

  • Documentation within the managing institution and previous institutions that held possession of the object for some time.
  • Personal archives and ego documents
  • Archives of institutions and governments
  • Newspapers, books and magazines
  • Visual material (for example photos and drawings)
  • Maps and plans
  • Communities in the areas of origin
  • Experts with knowledge of the specific object or the colonial past

The search tool Sources provides information on where to find these sources. Backgrounds to individuals, colonial institutions and events can be found through the digital research guides within the DataHub, or found elsewhere, such as Wikipedia. Please note that throughout various Wikipedia pages, information has been copied unfiltered from sources with a colonial perspective. It is therefore recommended to always consult the version in the language of the area of origin as well.

A number of the Dutch sources for provenance research into colonial collections have been digitized, greatly facilitating the research. Digital databases are constantly being supplemented. Therefore, it is worth repeating a query that previously could not provide relevant sources after some time.

Literature on conducting research into the provenance of an object

Related items

Writing a provenance report
Sources
Select and delineate