What percentage of the 2006 global objects by type were obtained by 1945?
Note that the following table shows that the following classes of object were disproportionally obtained before 1945:
More objects before 1945 than expected: Fire-related, Geological specimens, Lighting, Navigation, Physical anthropological specimens, and weapons.
Less objects before 1945 than expected: Child-related, marriage-related, Locks and keys, pictures, scientific apparatus and writing related artefacts.
|
Class |
Number of objects 1945 [global collections] |
Number of objects 2006 [global collections] |
% of 2006 collections obtained by end 1945 |
|
Agriculture |
1,374 |
2,056 |
66.8 |
|
Animalia |
3,181 |
4,647 |
68.4 |
|
Animal Gear |
1,326 |
2,307 |
57.4 |
|
Bag |
1,744 |
3,115 |
55.9 |
|
Basketry |
4,235 |
6,243 |
67.8 |
|
Body Art |
1,321 |
2,005 |
65.8 |
|
Box |
4,645 |
8,713 |
53.3 |
|
Carving |
134 |
181 |
74 |
|
Ceremonial |
2,761 |
5,333 |
51.7 |
|
Children |
1,473 |
6,766 |
21.7 |
|
Clothing |
6,846 |
12,982 |
52.7 |
|
Commemoration |
285 |
542 |
52 |
|
Cordage |
1,244 |
1,836 |
67.7 |
|
Currency |
3,995 |
5,641 |
70.8 |
|
Dance |
1,120 |
1,797 |
62.3 |
|
Death |
4,843 |
6,898 |
70.2 |
|
Dwelling |
1,742 |
3,752 |
46.4 |
|
Fan |
334 |
631 |
52.9 |
|
Figure |
9,571 |
16,892 |
56.6 |
|
Fire |
2,946 |
3,536 |
83.3 |
|
Fishing |
2,654 |
3,334 |
79.6 |
|
Food |
4,907 |
8,116 |
60.4 |
|
Geology |
2,910 |
3,359 |
86.6 |
|
Hunting |
1,786 |
2,684 |
66.5 |
|
Insignia |
894 |
1,860 |
48 |
|
Lighting |
2,516 |
3,219 |
78.1 |
|
Lock |
357 |
1,709 |
20.8 |
|
Marriage |
293 |
928 |
31.5 |
|
Mask |
525 |
801 |
65.5 |
|
Measurement |
3,325 |
4,811 |
69.1 |
|
Medicine |
1,774 |
2,667 |
66.5 |
|
Metallurgy |
548 |
731 |
74.9 |
|
Model |
2,306 |
3,670 |
62.8 |
|
Music |
6,038 |
10,167 |
59.3 |
|
Narcotic |
3,701 |
5,189 |
71.3 |
|
Navigation |
1,397 |
1,711 |
81.6 |
|
Ornament & bead |
21,345 |
44,133 |
48.3 |
|
Physical Anthropology |
1,303 |
1,573 |
82.8 |
|
Picture |
2,369 |
6,911 |
34.2 |
|
Plant |
2,433 |
4,597 |
52.9 |
|
Pottery |
12,597 |
19,238 |
65.4 |
|
Punishment & Torture |
253 |
450 |
56.2 |
|
Religion |
15,125 |
26,952 |
56.1 |
|
Reproduction |
2,274 |
2,854 |
79.6 |
|
Scientific Apparatus |
27 |
99 |
27.2 |
|
Specimen |
6,722 |
11,782 |
57 |
|
Sport |
238 |
335 |
71 |
|
Status |
2,941 |
4,631 |
63.5 |
|
Technique |
2,990 |
4,711 |
63.4 |
|
Textile |
5,755 |
10,472 |
54.9 |
|
Theatre |
390 |
711 |
54.8 |
|
Time |
193 |
255 |
75.6 |
|
Toilet |
2,017 |
3,118 |
64.6 |
|
Tool [definite] |
57,750 |
94,764 |
60.9 |
|
Tool or weapon |
10,709 |
14,769 |
72.5 |
|
Toy & Game |
5,645 |
12,144 |
46.4 |
|
Trade |
2,800 |
10,001 |
27.9 |
|
Transport |
1,563 |
2,732 |
57.2 |
|
Vessel |
7,463 |
12,465 |
59.8 |
|
Weapon [definite] |
22,085 |
27,105 |
81.4 |
|
Writing |
3,670 |
9,318 |
39.3 |
|
Total number of objects |
179,825 |
296,981 |
60.5 |
Note that this omits the classes barkcloth and headhunting for which there are objects in the global collections but there are no objects in the English collections.
Assuming that there was a steady rate of donation to the museum there are 61 years between 1884 and 1945 and 61 years between 1945 and 2006, which means one would assume that roughly 50 per cent of the collections (or of any one class) had been accessioned by 1945. Obviously this is not true.