The collection of Dr. Ipscher
We have little information about the acquisition of Dr. Ipscher's ethnographic collection. According to previous research, he was not involved in any punitive expeditions, but he may have traveled the country.
The collection is now housed in the Linden Museum in Stuttgart. During his stay in Cameroon, he exchanged letters with Count von Linden, who prepared the donation of the collection to the King of Württemberg. He then donated it to the Linden Museum. After Ipscher's return in November 1902, the objects were initially exhibited in Wusterhausen. Dr. Ipscher was nominated for an honorary honor for the donation to Stuttgart.
That he received this award is indirectly confirmed in a letter to Count Linden dated December 18, 1903, in which he expressed his gratitude: "for the honor bestowed upon me, which I owe solely to your kind mediation. It was not my destiny to earn military laurels in Cameroon. I am all the more pleased that at least the ethnological part of my work has received visible recognition." He presumably received the Württemberg Order of Frederick.
In his Wusterhausen estate, we find only objects that were either of no interest to the museum or that have a personal connection. The photographs in particular demonstrate that Dr. Ipscher remained interested in Cameroon even after his return, as some of the photographs may have been taken after 1902 (e.g., the one of the "Pagoda," which wasn't completed until 1905).
Photo of the “Africa Room”
Landing stage, Cameroon
In November 1902 he returned to Germany and to Wusterhausen.
It is recorded that in 1902/1903 he rented two rooms for an exhibition of the objects and presented them for a fee. He donated the proceeds to the Patriotic Women's Association.
He also gave a lecture on Cameroon.
Objects – the crocodile
Exhibited in the “Cabinet of Curiosities” of the permanent exhibition: A crocodile skin without a head – a Nile crocodile, species not further identifiable
Objects – the “throne”
Depiction of an elephant holding a fruit in its trunk; two snakes, one with a fish, one with a bird as its prey; a crocodile with a round object in front of its snout. In the upper center, a semi-sculptural sphere with a geometric cross engraving.
Carved seat with pythons, crocodile and elephant
The stool in the Wegemuseum, which comes from Ipscher's estate, features zoomorphic carvings and bears the signature "Oberstabsarzt Dr. Ipscher" and was most likely made in the workshops of the Basel mission station.
Signature
The “Throne”, a souvenir
With the permission of the king, who made the modification and profanation of this otherwise personalized piece of furniture possible, the classic Duala stool was further developed and became a popular souvenir.
Linden Museum Stuttgart
© Linden Museum Stuttgart, photo Harald Völkl
The museum, named after Karl Graf von Linden, originated from the collections of non-European provenance that members of the Württemberg Association for Commercial Geography and the Promotion of German Interests Abroad had assembled before the Linden Museum opened in 1911. Count von Linden was a patron and acquirer of cultural assets from other peoples, which he sought to present vividly to a German audience, in the spirit of colonial ideas, but also for the benefit of popular education. He transferred his enthusiasm for foreign worlds to traders, missionaries, members of the Schutztruppe (protection troops), and researchers, convincing them to donate their collections to "his" institution. The Imperial Colonial Office had stipulated that all ethnological collections from the colonies were to be transferred first to the Berlin Ethnological Museum; other institutions would only receive duplicates. This regulation was circumvented by a donation to the King of Württemberg. In this way, Count von Linden brought works of art from the German colonies and other countries, which were considered culturally and historically important, to Stuttgart. The critical circumstances of their acquisition were not questioned at the time.
Ipscher's collection in the Linden Museum Stuttgart
Reproduction of the list © Linden-Museum Stuttgart
A handwritten list with 103 entries by Dr. Georg Paul Ipscher, documenting his ethnographic collection in 1902, is located in the archive of the Linden Museum Stuttgart.
Two of these objects were exchanged in 1971 to the Johann Gutenberg University Collection in Mainz and can be found online in the German Digital Library: a bottle with a raffia covering and a basket from Cameroon.
Reproduction of the letter © Linden-Museum Stuttgart
A letter to Count von Linden describes Dr. Ipscher's attitude toward his collection and also its origins.
Duala, 6 June 2002
Most Honorable Count!
In reply to your esteemed letter of March 25, 1902, I regret to inform you that my collection seems to have been described in rather too rosy colors. I have become very skeptical, especially regarding the idols. I fear they were manufactured near Duala by resourceful dealers for the purpose of deception. What else I own isn't worth much either. I've already sold most of the items.
sent home to my parents, who also live in a town with aD after their name; but my little hometown in the Margraviate of Brandenburg and its little river can't compare with proud, old Ulm and the beautiful blue Danube. I won't withhold the name from you, even at the risk of you hearing it for the first time: Wusterhausen a/Dosse. [...]
My family also comes from southern Germany—I deliberately choose this term because southern Germany is too narrow a geographical term for me—from Salzburg, where they worked their fields as farmers. They were expelled by Archbishop Firmian because of their faith and settled in East Prussia by Frederick William I around 1733, along with other people who shared a common fate. [...]
I'm coming home in November.