Spatial conditions and personnel requirements for the preservation of collections at the Königliches Museum für Völkerkunde in Berlin from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century

The collections grew in a relatively short period of time under the founding director Adolf Bastian and in predominantly improvised conditions. From today’s perspective, the mass transport of objects from non-European countries to the metropolis of Berlin seems to have been little planned. The drastic increase in the size of the collections led to totally overcrowded permanent collections and showrooms, which were not separated in the Königliches Museum für Völkerkunde (KMfV) at the Königgrätzer Straße. However, the employees were all pioneers of their time, tasked with receiving these masses of objects and caring about their conservation. They often found themselves overwhelmed by their work and noticed a decline in their ability to build, expand, and deepen their chemical knowledge of pest control.