Wereldmuseum Rotterdam

Description

Today's Wereldmuseum Rotterdam grew out of the Yacht Society (Yachtvereniging), founded in 1851, which was located on the Willemskade in Rotterdam. Members donated all kinds of objects to the society, such as ship models, but also ethnographic objects. Thus, in 1873 the Maritiem Museum Prins Hendrik was founded, named after the president of the Yacht Society. When Prince Hendrik died in 1879 and the Yacht Society ceased to exist, the Municipality of Rotterdam decided to take over the building on Willemskade and the Society's collection. In 1883, the municipality decided that an ethnographic museum should also be located in the building. Thus, in 1885, the Museum of Geology and Ethnology (Museum voor Land- en Volkenkunde) opened its doors. Later the name was changed to Museum of Ethnology (Museum voor Volkenkunde).

The collection of the Museum of Geology and Ethnology initially consisted of all kinds of donations from sailors, traders and military personnel, among others. The donation of the collection of Javanese batiked canvases and other items by Elie van Rijckevorsel, who later also took a seat on the Advisory Board of the museum, served as an encouragement to the municipality of Rotterdam to establish the ethnographic museum. From the beginning of the twentieth century there was, under the notion of the upcoming science of anthropology, more structured collecting. This included the organization of collecting trips. Much focus was given to the cultures on New Guinea.

It was not until 1961 that the Museum of Ethnology and the Maritiem Museum Prins Hendrik continued separately. Today, these are still separate municipal museums, but since the 1980s the collections of both museums are stored in the same depot. Since May 2017, the Wereldmuseum Rotterdam became part of the National Museum of World Cultures (NMVW) association. Since 2023, all museums within the NMVW continued under the name Wereldmuseum. The name of the museum in Rotterdam was thus specified to Wereldmuseum Rotterdam.

Provenance research

The collection of the Wereldmuseum Rotterdam is accessible via the Datahub and the collection website of the Wereldmuseum, the collection of the Wereldmuseum can be identified by the attribute 'WM'. Specific questions regarding the collection of the Wereldmuseum Rotterdam can be asked through <collectieinfo@wereldmuseum.nl>.

The Wereldmuseum Rotterdam archives are located in the Rotterdam City Archives. Note that the archives are divided into two parts, an archive from 1883 to 1960 and an archive from 1961 to 1990. Both archives are structured in a similar manner. Records related to the collection can be found in both accesses under the heading “Collectievorming en beheer” in the “Taken” section.

The photograph collection of the Wereldmuseum Rotterdam has been transferred to the Nederlands Fotomuseum. You can find the photograph collection of the Wereldmuseum Rotterdam by searching for 'WMR*' within the Nederlands Fotomuseum's collection database.

For any restitution requests, it is important to bear in mind that the Municipality of Rotterdam is the owner of the Wereldmuseum Rotterdam collection and not the Dutch state. What this means for the restitution policy can be found in the research aid on the Restitution Policy Netherlands.

Resources

• History Wereldmuseum. From Yachtclub to ethnographic museum
  Website by the Wereldmuseum containing a short history of the museum in Rotterdam. — https://rotterdam.wereldmuseum.nl/en/about-wereldmuseum-rotterdam/history-wereldmuseum
• — https://rotterdam.wereldmuseum.nl/nl/over-wereldmuseum-rotterdam/geschiedenis-wereldmuseum
• NL-RtSA, 563 Archief van het Museum voor Land- en Volkenkunde en Maritiem Museum Prins Hendrik te Rotterdam
  Archives of the Museum of Geology and Ethnology. This archive runs until 1960 because from then on the organizations of the Museum of Geology and Ethnology and the Maritiem Museum Prins Hendrik continued separately. Inventory numbers 282 through 302 contain records related to the formation of the collection. — https://hdl.handle.net/21.12133/C5532B05532547EB975A5FDCC489E105
• NL-RtSA, 1407 Archief van het Museum voor (Land- en) Volkenkunde te Rotterdam
  Archives of the Museum of Geology and Ethnology. This archive runs from 1961 because from then on the organizations of the Museum of Land and Ethnology and the Maritiem Museum Prins Hendrik continued separately. Inventory numbers 147 through 177 contain records related to the formation of the collection. — https://hdl.handle.net/21.12133/D93AA4DF253A4F2B85ABDE76E164DE67
• —
• Faber, Paul, Liane van der Linden and René Wassing. Schatten van het Museum voor Volkenkunde Rotterdam. Meulenhoff/Landshoff: Amsterdam, 1987.
  Book, and also catalog, dedicated to the exhibition Schatten van het Museum voor Volkenkunde Rotterdam. It contains a brief history of the museum and an extensive description of collections from various continents. —