Travelling Objects: The Story of Two Natural History Collections in the Nineteenth Century
2003; Modern Humanities Research Association; Volume: 19; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/port.2003.0018
ISSN2222-4270
Autores Tópico(s)Historical and Literary Analyses
ResumoTravelling Objects:TheStory ofTwo Natural History Collections intheNineteenth Century FILIPA LOWNDES VICENTE This paper will explorethe journeyof two distinctnaturalhistory collections assembledby the naturalists EtienneGeoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1772-1844)andFriedrich Welwitsch (1806-72),onefrom BraziltoLisbon and Paris,theotherfrom Angolato Lisbon,and thenfinally to London. Throughan examination of thesecases I willtryto show how, in the nineteenth century, natural history specimens wereassociated withspecific forms ofcollecting, travelling andexhibiting. I willrecover andanalyse the travel itineraries thatdo notappearonthemuseum labelsoftheseobjects, and byso doingrevealtheexhibition culture thatconstitutes one ofthe main values of nineteenth-century Westerncivilization.Throughthe exampleofPortugal, I willalso showhow thisculture is morevisiblein some countriesthan others.In fact,the makingof naturalhistory collections atthisperiodisinseparable from thewidercontext ofnational and colonial identities, and fromthe conflict betweena cosmopolitan scientific community andthegrowing number ofnationalist projects that tried toexploit thisknowledge fortheir ownends. Ofthetwocasesdiscussed here, thefirst tookplaceinthecontext ofthe Napoleonicinvasions, an eventwhosedisruptive impactnotonlyshaped bothEuropeand theonsetofthenineteenth century butalso determined the destination of manyobjectsand collections.The famousFrench naturalist Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire came to Portugalin 1808 when the country was underNapoleonicrule.He was in chargeof the mission entrusted withselecting from thePortuguese natural history collections the objectsofgreatest scientific interest. Thesewerethensentto Paris,where theyjoinedmanyothersdispatched fromvariousplaces in Europeand NorthAfricaby Napoleon's armiesand by illustrious members of the French scientific community. Thenewhomesforthese collections werethe museumsthatwere intendedto consecrateFrenchimperialist power. However, after thedefeat ofNapoleonmany ofthecountries thathadbeen lootedoftheir treasures askedfortheir return. Portugal wasnoexception. But,as willbeseen,theprocess ofrestitution wasfarfrom simple orlinear. On thecontrary, it was longand inconsistent, withpolitical,scientific, diplomatic, andpersonal issuesweighing heavily. The secondcase to be discussedis verydifferent, butone thatraises manyissuesin commonwiththefirst. Ittookplace laterin thecentury, betweenthe 1850s and '70s; its main protagonist was the Austrian naturalist Friedrich Welwitsch, andthemaincities involved werenolonger 2O FILIPA LOWNDES VICENTE Lisbonand Paris,butLisbonand London.After a longstayin Portugal (1839-53),whereamongmanyotheractivities he workedin theJardim Botánicoda Ajuda,in 1853Welwitsch was sentby Queen Maria II of Portugal ona mission toAngola.The official aimwascomprehensively to study itsnaturalresources withtheaim ofimproving theeconomicand commercial exploitation ofthePortuguese colony.Uponhisreturn eight years later, andwithallthecollections incrates, Welwitsch didnotstayin Lisbonforvery long.OnlyLondon,he believed, possessedthemuseums, scientists and collections necessary fortheproperstudyof his African discoveries. The potential'museum'was therefore only unpackedin Londonand never completely returned to Portugal. Whathappened next was a fascinating legalcase,to be discussed later,whichpitted Portugal, represented byitskingD. Luis,againsttheBritish Museum,wherethe knowledge of thePortuguese colony,so covetedby Britain, was safely stored. GeoffroySaint-Hilaire In 1808,General Junot, underorders from Napoleon,was commander of theFrench invading forcesin Portugal. Withhimwas EtienneGeoffroy Saint-Hilaire, the distinguished zoologistand director of the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle inParis.1 The reasonforSainte-Hilaire's presence in Lisbonwas notdisguised. He was on an official scientific mission, similar totheonethathadtaken himtoEgypt in1798.He wasthere toselect from thecollections ofthat city andtakebacktoParisthenatural history objects thathe thought worthy ofinterest. It was notbychancethatthegreat majority oftheobjects found worth taking from thecupboards oftheroyal Gabinete da Ajudawerespecimens originally brought from thePortuguese colonies.2 Ofthese colonies Brazilwasthebestrepresented, mainly because 1 Jacques Daget and Luiz Saldanha, HistoiresNaturellesFranco-Portugaises du XIXe Siècle (Lisbon:Instituto Nacional de Investigaçaodas Pescas,1989);Revued'HistoiredesSciencesetde leursApplications, 25 (1972): volumededicatedto EtienneGeoffroy Saint-Hilaire; Joséda Silva Carvalho,'A Vinda de Geoffroy Saint-Hilairea Lisboa', Boletimda Academia das Ciencias de Lisboa, New Series,2 (1930), 900-03; Julio GuilhermeBethencourtFerreira,'A Missäo de Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire emEspanhae Portugal, durantea Invasäo Francesa,em 1808',Boletimda Segunda Classe da Academia das Ciencias de Lisboa, 17 (1923), 208-27 Julio Guilherme Bethencourt Ferreira, 'Subsidiospara a historiadas scienciasnaturaesem Portugal.O Museu da Ajuda e a invasäo Francesa',and, 5 (1911), 376-80, and Pedro de Azevedo, 'Geoffroy SaintHilaire em Lisboa. Estudos,documentose noticias',24 (1919-20), 93-121; E. T. Hamy, 'La missionde Geoffroy Saint-Hilaireen Espagne et en Portugal(1808). Histoireet Documents', NouvellesArchives du Musée d'HistoireNaturelle,4thseries,io (1908),1-66. 2 AdrienBalbi,Essai Statistique surle Royaumede Portugaletd'Algarve,comparéaux autres étatsde l'Europe, etsuivid'un coup d'oeil surl'étatactueldes sciences,des lettres etdes beauxartsparmiles portugaisdes deux hémisphères dédié a sa majestétrès-fidèle, 2 vols (Paris:Chez Rey et Gravier,1822), 11, 93; José SilvestreRibeiro,Historiados estabelecimentos scientificos litter arios e artísticosde Portugalnos sucessivos reinados da monarquía, 19 vols (Lisbon: AcademiaReal das Sciencias,1873),HI>353~55- TWO NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS 21 ofthescientific voyageofAlexandre Rodrigues Ferreira undertaken from 1783to...
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