Collections

This page provides an overview of my collections and areas of interest of collection…

Everyday culture

The main focus of my collection is on different everyday culture related artifacts from the 20th century. Since this is a quite broad area, here is a list of more particular topics:

Artifacts

Books and printed matter

(mainly between 1890 and 1945)

  • Advisory literature (especially with regard to transported role models)
    • Letter-writer’s guides Page of the collection
    • Entertainment
    • Health / Medicine
      • Personal hygiene
      • Sex education
      • Memory training
  • Beautiful children’s books
    • Scrap books
  • Photo books (especially in rotogravure printing)
  • Interior decoration
  • Atlases and maps
  • Advertising
  • Commercial art
  • Magazines

Art

Media

My goal is not to cover any these topics even halfway complete, but to depict a (not necessarily representative) cross-section.

An (incomplete) catalog of my books is available at Librarything.

Donations

Every now and then I also find things that may be of interest to archives, museums or widely known collectors. In such cases, I contact the institution that I think is the most suitable.

Activist Donor

Similar to an “Activist shareholder” I see myself as an activist donor, which means that it is not only important to me that an artifact or a medium is preserved, but also that access to it is possible by up to date (digital) means for the general public. This is of course due to my professional background and is simply a necessity in preserving cultural heritage. If your institution is not able to do this, I would be happy to support you.

Therefore, I expect the institution to be prepared to meet the following of conditions:

  • Cataloging
    The object will be placed in your publicly and online accessible record system (catalogue, etc.) at short notice. The record can be retrieved at least via a persistent URL in HTML format. The catalog entry is not subject to any restrictions on subsequent re-use (e.g. CC0). The provenance (i.e. the donor) part of the catalogue entry.
    Ideally, the catalogue record is also available in machine-readable form in an internationally recognised file format for the respective object type via an interface.
    Exhibition or lending of the shall take place with mention of the provenance.
  • Digitisation
    • The object is digitized and the resulting files (including raw data) are made available to me for presentation - the license should allow the widest possible reuse - ideally CC0.
  • Presentation in your online portal
    • The digitized material is presented in the context of your other digitised objects, regardless of whether the presentation takes place directly in your institution or in a (library) network.
  • Publication in a supra-regional portal
    • You upload or reference the digitised object including metadata into a research portal with at least a nationwide reach (for archive material, for example Archivportal D, for printed items the Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek, for museum objects museum-digital).
  • Research / Classification / Contextualization
    • The catalogue record is enriched with further information known to them. In the process, cross-references are formed, e.g. via norm data, the object is described and (organisation-specific) keywords are added. If the necessary norm data (for persons or organisations) does not exist, the institution involved creates it.

The whole process should ideally take no longer than 12 months.

Previous donations

The previously donated highlights:

Amateur film about Marburg

A Amateur film about Marburg from the 1940ies.

Graphic by an artist from Spandau

A graphic by the Spandau artist Fritz Neumann

Read More...

Postcards from Halle/Saale

Postcards of the sales outlets of the Gimritz estate.

Read More...Further posts

Loans

I also lend items from my collections for exhibitions.

The conditions to be fulfilled are listed here:

  • Mention of the lender
    The object is presented with mentioning my name as lender and the monogram symbol.
    The lender is also mentioned in print publications (e.g. catalogues and advertising materials)..
    If links are used in the exhibition (e.g. QR codes or via app), this page should be linked.
  • Permanent access / free admission
    • Admission to the exhibition is free of charge for me and my companion. You invite me to the opening / vernissage.
  • Additional requirements for online exhibitions
    • Online exhibitions, accompanying websites and press releases presenting the object must also mention my name. However, this can be realised implicitly (e.g. mouseover or alternative text).
    I am granted the right to present corresponding screenshots online.
  • Specimen copy / -photo
    • If there is a catalogue for the exhibition in which the object is shown, please send me a specimen copy.
    A photo of the object in the context of the exhibition will be provided and I will be granted the rights to present it online.
  • Other conditions
    • Depending on the object, further conditions may apply, e.g. with regard to presentation conditions and insurance.

Previous loans

Here is a selection of the objects lent to date:

Using materials and guidance

The source materials of my blogs as well as my printed materials can be used for your own work. Regardless of whether plan on doing a scientific work (master’s theses, doctoral theses, other publications), try to realise some creative idea (fonts, photos, etc.), exhibitions or your own web project (such as a blog, etc.), please do not hesitate to contact me. And if you are interested in one topic and still lack the right project, I will be happy to help as well.