The archives of the National Museums of World Culture are an unexpected goldmine. They have their origins in gifts and donations, as well as the museum's own activities. The archives contain information that is vital in understanding the history and origins of the collections. Here you find diaries from expeditions, photographies, correspondence, documentation of objects and exhibitions.
Through the archives it is possible to follow the history of the museums and how the objects found their way to the collections, but also the people who brought them there. The archives are a place filled with past adventures and exciting life stories.
The archives are open for visits by appointment, Monday - Friday 9 am - 4 pm. Please contact Monica Sargren.
The Museum of World Culture archives contain field journals, manuscripts and photographs from various explorations in which the museum and it's predecessors have participated. There is correspondence, materials from previous exhibitions as well as a cuttings archive. It is possible to study and follow the history of anthropology and archaeology since the beginning of the 20th century in the archive.
The Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities archives document the Swedish excavations and expeditions in the Mediterranean, that were the source of the museum's current collections. For example there are archives from the Swedish Cyprus Expedition (1927-1931), but also information regarding the Egyptian and Greco-Roman collections in the museum.
In The Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities archives there are documentations of the museums activities since it's beginnings in 1963. In addition to this there are older documents regarding the background history of the objects, their accumulation and how they ended up in the museum´s collections. In multiple individual archives there is material that is relevant in different ways for the collections geographical origin and themes, for example exploring expeditions and documentations in China and Japan.
The Museum of Ethnography archive is the foundation of understanding the museum's collections as well as the role of the museum in history. Here you will find, among other things, listings of the collections, documentation and photos of objects and correspondence. A big part of the records are directly bound to the objects and their history. There is also interesting material from museum co-workers as well as external researchers that conducted field studies in different parts of the world.
