| No | English text |
| 0 | A collector and a bon vivant Heinrich Schiffmann (1872 – 1904) Heinrich Schiffmann had tuberculosis, a disease that was both common and incurable at the time. As a consequence, his life was adventurous but short. It was believed frequent a changes of air helped with the symptoms of tuberculosis, so Heinrich Schiffmann travelled the world by ship. His family had made a fortune in the cheese trade and his wealth meant that he could afford to buy many exotic souvenirs. At first he kept them in his villa in Ouchy on Lake Geneva, but he later gave them to the secondary school in Burgdorf. The Schiffmann Collection, founded after his death, later became the Ethnological Museum of Burgdorf. Unless otherwise noted, the objects in this room belong to the Ethnological Collection. |
| 1 | Heinrich Schiffmann poses with Bedouin clothing and travel memorabilia in a photo studio in Lausanne, 1898. On loan from the Roth Foundation Burgdorf |
| 2 | Around the world Travel at the turn of the century Two trips around the world, a long voyage to Latin America, cruises across the Mediterranean and around the Canary Islands. All this in only a decade – air planes are certainly not necessary to travel the world! Transport, energy and communication technology progressed enormously in Schiffmann’s lifetime. In its own way, Europe had globalised the world, splitting up America, Asia and Africa. Travel was more comfortable than ever before, as were stays in the best hotels – if you were a wealthy European. |
| 3 | Schiffmann’s itinerary 1899/1900, drawn by his nephew Alfred G. Roth. |
| 4 | Schiffmann’s itinerary 1897/1898, drawn by his nephew Alfred G. Roth. |
| 5 | Schiffmann’s itinerary 1895, drawn by his nephew Alfred G. Roth. |
| 6 | Heinrich Schiffmann’s Ottoman passport, 1894. Schiffmann aquired this passport in order to travel in the Middle East, which at the time was primarily part of the Ottoman Empire. On loan from the Roth Foundation Burgdorf |
| 7 | Heinrich Schiffmann’s passport, 1901. The passport lists tattoos under “special features”. Schiffmann had his initials and the family coat of arms tattooed on his forearm. On loan from the Roth Foundation Burgdorf |
| 8 | Letter from Heinrich Schiffmann to his stepfather Ferdinand Roth, dated 16 February 1896 from Hyères. On loan from the Roth Foundation Burgdorf |
| 9 | Letter from Heinrich Schiffmann to his stepfather Ferdinand Roth, dated March 2, 1900 from aboard the S. S. Ammon near the Falkland Islands. On loan from the Roth Foundation Burgdorf |
| 10 | Postcard from Heinrich Schiffmann to his stepbrother Guido Roth, dated 15 December 1903 from Madagascar. On loan from the Roth Foundation Burgdorf |
| 11 | Postcard from Heinrich Schiffmann to his stepbrother Guido Roth from aboard the steamer Natal, written after he left on his final voyage. On loan from the Roth Foundation Burgdorf |
| 12 | Invoice from the Arthur and Bond Fine Art Gallery, 1902. Schiffmann ordered his purchases sent from Yokohama to Switzerland. On loan from the Roth Foundation Burgdorf |
| 13 | Globe showing the shipping routes in Schiffmann’s time. |
| 14 | Schiffmann’s rifle with his name engraved on it. |
| 15 | Schiffmann’s suitcase. |
| 16 | Two of Schiffmann’s travel guides, 1894/1897. Baedecker guides were considered to be the most reliable travel guides available. |
| 17 | Click, click, click Heinrich Schiffmann discovered he had a taste for travel in 1893, and so he bought himself a complete set of photographic equipment. From then on, he took his camera with him everywhere. The camera casing could be collapsed down like bellows for travel, but still it weighed ten kilos! Schiffmann climbed mountains and crossed seas carrying his equipment, and he made sure to photograph every step of his journeys. Travel journals were all the rage, but Schiffmann preferred to take pictures. Most of his pictures show coastlines and port cities (he only rarely dared to venture inland), but we also catch glimpses of other passengers as well as crew. Not all the images in his collection were taken by Schiffmann himself – he supplemented his travel souvenirs with the exotic snaps that professional photographers sold to tourists. |
| 18 | Cameras and accessories from Schiffmann’s photographic equipment. 1 Stereoscope for viewing 3D images. 2 Viewing box for viewing glass stereo slides. 3 Foldable travel camera. 4 Lens. |
| 19 | Schiffmann not only took photographs on his travels himself, he also bought photographs sold as souvenirs for tourists. 1 Harvesting agave juice in Mexico. Photo: Waite. 2 Heavy transport to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Photo: Skeen & Co. 3 Tea pickers in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Photo: Plate & Co. 4 Chinese playing. Studio image, Shanghai, China. 5 Snake charmer. Studio image, Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Photo : Plate & Co. 6 Four men wearing traditional costume. Studio image, Ceylon, (now Sri Lanka). 7 Mandarin with family, China. 8 “Kardigan Princess” Studio image, Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Photo: Plate & Co. |
| 20 | Photographs taken by Heinrich Schiffmann during his travels. 1 View of Hong Kong from Victoria Peak. 2 Chinese sailors in the bay of Haiphong (Vietnam), 1902. 3 “Chin. Boys”: European passengers in first class watch the Chinese crew, crossing from Japan to San Francisco. 4 “Departure of a lady”. Mogador (now Essaouira), Morocco, 1897. 5 Aboard the St. Laurent steamboat, 1899. 6 From Europe to Martinique. Third class passengers go up on deck after a storm. 7 Livestock on the deck of Ammon, in front of Punta Arenas, Chile’s southernmost point, 1900. 8 Crew of the St. Laurent en route to South America, 1899. 9 Sailors in the masts of the St. Laurent, 1899. 10 St. Laurent Steamer. This is the first leg of Schiffmann’s voyage to South America, 1899. 11 Schiffmann aboard the Ammon on his way back from South America, 1900. |
| 21 | With accuracy Heinrich Schiffmann may have enjoyed the exotic and captured it on camera, but he didn’t always feel the need to travel far- he also had a passion for Swiss folk festivals. In the 19th century, festivals such as the Narcissus Festival in Montreux were very popular throughout the young nation. The Narcissus Festival began in 1897 and remained an important part of life on Lake Geneva for the next six decades. And of course there is no forgetting the most patriotic of all the festivals- shooting festivals. Schiffmann not only shot photos but also shot rifles, apparently quite well. Plenty of trophies bear witness to his marksmanship. |
| 22 | Heinrich Schiffmann’s index of all his photographs. |
| 23 | 1 Narcissus Festival in Montreux, 1899. 2 Ouchy Bay, 1899. 3 The Lutry wharf, circa 1900. 4 Bike Club members release a balloon on a day out. |
| 24 | 1 On the Bertol glacier in Valais, 1895. Schiffmann crossed the 3311 metre high Bertol Pass with all his heavy photo equipment. It crosses from Arolla to Ferpècle. 2 On the Ferpècle glacier in Valais. 3 Bertol Pass. 4 Break at Ferpècle. 5 Bertol Pass. 6 Bertol Pass. 7 Girl with buckets of milk in Evolène, Val d’Hérens,Valais. |
| 25 | A gilded youth on the shores of Lake Geneva Heinrich Schiffmann fell in love with Lake Geneva as a teenager. In 1888, he attended the Ecole de commerce in Lausanne and there, on the fashionable Riviera, he met other young people. The mild climate was good for his lungs. In 1901, he bought the villa Joli Site in Ouchy in Lausanne. It was a truly magnificent place – the whole house was decorated with souvenirs and photographs from all over the world. Two cute little monkeys entertained visitors with their antics, but guests probably had to be more careful with the two jaguars sunbathing in the garden… From time to time, Schiffmann went for a drive in his Benz Velociped – the first large-scale-production car – or on one of his motor boats on Lake Geneva. In the evening, he uncorked a bottle or two of wine from his own vineyards near La Tour-de-Peilz. When Schiffmann went travelling, his housekeeper Madame Richard took care of the house he bought with his grandfather’s inheritance. Schiffmann’s years on the Riviera may have been few but they were golden. |
| 26 | 1 Heinrich Schiffmann’s villa in Ouchy, Joli Site, with garden and view of Lake Geneva, 1902. 2 Joli Site, 1903. 3 Schiffmann’s housekeeper, Madame Richards, with Pluto, the dog, in front of Joli Site, 1903. 4 A wall decorated with weapons and Schiffmann’s Ottoman passport, Joli Site. 5 Two jaguars in the garden at Joli Site. 6 Schiffmann invited to a costume party in Ouchy. 7 Monkeys playing in the garden at Joli Site. 8 Schiffmann’s motorboat Romeo in Ouchy bay. 9 Schiffmann in his Benz Velociped, 1895. The car could do up to 20 km/hour. |
| 27 | A death in Ouchy Schiffmann died of malaria at the age of 32. Heinrich Schiffmann made his last voyage in 1904. He travelled to Réunion in the Indian Ocean, where, already weakened by tuberculosis, he caught malaria. The news of his sister’s death also affected him. Short stays on the French Riviera were of no avail, and Schiffmann died in May in his villa on Lake Geneva. |
| 28 | Letter to his stepfather Ferdinand Roth, dated February 1904. After returning from his last trip, Schiffmann, then seriously ill, wrote from the spa town of Hyères that he had caught malaria on Réunion and had had to cut his journey short. On loan from the Roth Foundation Burgdorf |
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| 31 | Heinrich Schiffmann’s will, 25 May 1904. On loan from the Roth Foundation Burgdorf |
| 32 | Photo album with portraits of Heinrich Schiffmann and his relatives. On loan from the Roth Foundation Burgdorf |
| 33 | A legacy for public education A few hours before his death on May 25, 1904, and already too weak to write himself, Heinrich Schiffmann dictated his will to his butler and his assistant gardener. Schiffmann bequeathed a large part of his estate to his servants and to charitable organizations. His collection of objects, however, was left to his old secondary school in Burgdorf. Schiffmann’s stepfather, Ferdinand Roth, aided the school in accepting the bequest. He paid for transportation and the inheritance tax. With over 500 objects, Schiffmann’s collection formed the core of the Ethnographic Museum, which opened its doors in the school in Kirchbühl in May 1909. Today the objects are part of the Ethnographic Collection of the Burgdorf Castle Museum. |
| 34 | Schiffman bought these popular tourist slides during his travels around the world in 1897/98 and in Japan in 1902. 1 Girl in a Tokyo garden. Studio image. 2 Girl in winter clothes. Studio image. 3 Tattooed man. Studio image. 4 Yoshiwara girls in cage. Yoshiwara was a red-light district in Tokyo. Prostitutes try to attract customers by posing behind bars in a brothel. 5 Dormitories. Studio image. 6 Travelling by rickshaw in bad weather. Studio image. 7 Tea pickers. 8 Farmer with rice straw. 9 Silk Weaving, Tokyo 10 Wrestlers, Nagasaki. Western tourists in the audience are easily identified by their hats. |