The Meiji era covers the period from 1868 to 1912 in Japanese history. This was a time when the
feudal state was developing into a modern super power, when Japanese society was changing and
opening up to the world. This still-unknown country aroused great interest in Europe. Heinrich
von Siebold, the son of the doctor and famous researcher on Japan, Philipp Franz von Siebold,
travelled to Japan as a teenager and spent most of his life there. Heinrich von Siebold donated his
collection of Japanese objects to Emperor Franz Josef for the k. u. k. Natural History Museum and
was therefore granted the title of a baron. Today, this donation forms part of the core inventory of
the Weltmuseum Wien East Asian collection.
The history of this collection has been reconstructed and recreated in the exhibition Japan in the
Meiji Era, based on three historical object photographs from the nineteenth century. The
exhibition also presents the results of the joint research project with the National Museum of
Japanese History.

About the exhibition
The exhibition will present the results of a joint research project with the National Museum of
Japanese History. Japan in the Meiji Era is based on three historical photographs from the
nineteenth century, which show how the collection was set-up at the family's private residence. A
film reconstructs this set-up using the object mapping technology, giving an impression of the
original installation. At the same time, the objects will be displayed in five exhibition rooms and
presented with a current assessment of the historical value of a Meiji-era collection. A symposium
on Heinrich von Siebold and his collection will take place in March 2020.