Bycatch. Ethnological collections as a side business of the animal trade

On the eve of World War I, animal traders Carl Marquardt and Alfred Weidholz undertook trips to North Africa. While their primary purpose was to capture animals for zoological gardens, they also compiled ethnological collections, which they sold to the museum. The collections they purchased shed light on the trade in ethnological objects at the beginning of the 20th century. What objects did the museum order from them and how were they later classified in the museum? How did the search for decorative objects and ethnological evidence relate to each other?

The lecture explores the negotiations between commercial collections and scientific classification.

Tobias Mörike has been curator for the collections from North Africa, West Asia, Central Asia, and Siberia at the Weltmuseum Wien since 2022. At the Weltmuseum Wien, he was part of the curatorial teams for the exhibitions Science Fiction(s) (2023), On the Backs of camels (2024), The European Qurʾān (2024), as well as for the interventions Space Mosque by Saks Afridi and There May Exist by Zeinab Alhashemi in the Theseus Temple.

His research interests include connections between the history of knowledge and environmental history in West Asia and North Africa.

Lecture in German language
To participate in the event, all guests need a valid museum ticket.
Participation is free for annual ticket holders, Weltmuseum Wien Friends, Patrons, Members and Ambassadors as well as ICOM members and holders of the Kulturpass.
Registration: online
Meeting point: WMW Forum
Admission from 6.30 p.m.