Examination of selected ethnological and natural history objects acquired by the Übersee-Museum Bremen in 1933–1945 whose provenance is suspected of indicating confiscation as a result of persecution

The Übersee-Museum covers a variety of subject areas. Its holdings contain objects from the worlds of natural history, ethnology and commerce. Around 1,200 acquisitionsindividual items and collectionsare recorded in the museums receipt book for the period 1933 to 1945. Of these, seven with suspect provenance were included in the project. The origin of the objects could not be explicitly clarified in all cases. There are still other objects that indicate a questionable provenance. The research also brought new suspect cases to light.

By focusing on the origin of natural and ethnographic objects, the project conducted in 2015/2016 entered territory that had been relatively unexplored to date in the field of Nazi provenance research. Problems emerged regarding the two entomological acquisitions from 1942 (Kaiser Wilhelm Institute) and 1945 (Property Control) in particular. As the creatures in the available documents were described only in unspecific terms, they could not be identified in the museum store among 600,000 other insects. Consequently, a source that is essential for the provenance research was lacking: the labels that are under the body of the individual pinned object, which usually refer to both its geographical and its personal origin.

The case of ancient American clay objects donated by Bremen businessman Ludwig Roselius in 1938 was not clarified either. The pieces could have been acquired by the coffee merchant himself in Peru, but there are also indications that they possibly originated from an auction. Questions still remain relating to the donation made in 1940 by the war materials company executive and shipyard manager Franz Stapelfeldt, which was examined during the research. Georg Müldner von Mülnheim could be identified as the previous owner and collector of the collection transferred to the museum via Stapelfeldt. The collection mainly consists of geological material. The circumstances that led to his widow, Jutta, selling the pieces to the Bremen shipyard manager of Deschimag remain unclear, however. Persecution of the seller can be ruled out with a high degree of certainty, though.

Among the acquisitions examined in the project, a walrus skull from Bremen town hall could also be identified as lawful in terms of its origin. Artistically adorned, it was originally used for decorative purposes in the mayors chamber. It came into the museum at a time when the inventory of the town hall was being put into storage for safety in summer 1942 to protect it from air raids. An acquisition from a used furniture dealer is also unsuspicious. In 1936, the museum bought a cupboard that contained exotic animals from Brazil. Of these, the bird skins could be attributed to the Bremen tobacco salesman and collector Reinhard Wilhelm Bädecker. As a young man in the 1890s, Bädecker stayed in Brazil for training purposes, which means that the other animals can probably also be traced back to him. His cupboard very likely ended up in Gerhard Klöfkorns furniture market hall when he moved away from Bremen for a few years at the end of 1934.

Another acquisition that was included in the project does not fall into the subject area of confiscation as a result of persecution. This comprises human specimens (four human fetuses, two hearts and other organ parts) which were given to the museum in 1935 by a doctor from Bremen. The question here was whether these originate from an unlawful context, as is known to be the case for the procurement of corpses by National Socialist anatomical and pathological institutions, or whether their origin is actually linked to the Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring. It is not possible to state a definitive search outcome for this acquisition either. Provenance from the Bremen pathology field is probable, but there are no sources such as autopsy books or similar documents that can be used in order to check this and establish a chronological timeline.

Even if the precise provenance remains unknown in a number of cases, the research has delivered new findings about the history of the Übersee-Museum in the National Socialist era, particularly with regard to the natural history department. It was also possible to ascertain the provenance of a collection from the 1920s. The Bremen doctor who supplied the human specimens also left the museum a large collection of Asian art objects. After researching this individual, the museum has now obtained information that provides a basis for a more in-depth study of these pieces.

In the insect holdings, the amateur entomologist Michael Aigner was identified; nothing was known about him in the museum or in the professional community before now. Also belonging to the entomology field and newly discovered are animals that can be traced back to the zoologist Hans Bytinski-Salz, who suffered persecution as a Jew. An investigation would be necessary here. The same applies to two cases of possible confiscation as a result of persecution which have now become known: the acquisitions of the gallery R. Wagner, Berlin, and Alba Franzius.

The results of the project are being incorporated into a new permanent exhibition on the history of the museum and will be published.

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