Ethnographic Collection

The Ethnographic Collection of the National Museum of Denmark encompasses a vast collection of ethnographic objects and archaeological artefacts primarily from non-European cultures as well as the Arctic peoples.

The oldest part of the collection dates as far back as the 17th and 18th century, originating from the Danish Royal Kunstkammer.

In the 19th and 20th century, scientific expeditions to, for instance, Greenland and the Arctic regions of North America as well as Central Asia and Mongolia yielded great collections of objects and artefacts that were added to the existing collection.

Researchers from the Ethnographic Collection carry out field work, collect objects from contemporary cultures and excavate archaeological artefacts. They also collaborate with international researchers and work together with people from those cultural areas of which many of the collection’s objects come from. Research into the Arctic regions of the world is continuously an important focus area.

The Ethnographic Collection is responsible for the exhibitions Peoples of the Earth and Ethnographic Treasures in the Prince’s Palace.

The Ethnographic Collection houses the only ethnographic research library in Denmark with particular focus on material culture within the fields of ethnography, anthropology and civilisation culture. In addition are archives containing rich and diverse collections of photographs and historical records.