The Collector, Dealer and Researcher Wilhelm Bauer

Approaching Scholarly Collecting in Mexico in the Early 20th Century

Abstract

Wilhelm Bauer was a German researcher, collector and dealer particularly of Indigenous material culture who made a living in Mexico between 1901 and 1912. His life and work were largely influenced by his connection to the Königliches Museum für Völkerkunde in Berlin and Eduard Seler, with whom he had a special relationship. While maintaining close ties with Berlin, he also contributed to archaeological, ethnographic and photographic collections of scholars and museums in Europe, the USA and Mexico. Based on archival research in the Ethnologisches Museum Berlin and beyond, this article presents new insights into Bauer’s biography and discusses his contacts with key figures in Americanist studies of his time. The article approaches Bauer as embedded in scholarly networks by working closely with the historical correspondence. It elaborates how Bauer earned a living in Mexico largely by establishing himself in a transnational network of scholarly collecting, to which he offered his services and even set up a business for antiquities, among other things. One central interest is the relationship with Eduard Seler, who defined his interconnected academic and economic ambitions. The article contributes to the understanding of the role of intermediaries in a global network of collectors and institutions at the beginning of the 20th century.