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Auckland, New Zealand, 2018. RECORDS OF THE AUCKLAND MUSEUM ISSN 1174-9202 (Print) ISSN 2422-8567 (Online) In continuation of Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum Volume 1, Number 1 (June 1930) Published by Order of the Trust Board Dr David GAIMSTER, Director [Vol. 52 was published on 15 December 2017] Editors J.W. EARLY and L. FUREY Production L. FUREY The Auckland War Memorial Museum has a statutory role to advance and promote cultural and scientific scholarship and research that is met in part by publication of the Records of the Auckland Museum. The Records have been published continuously since 1930. Issues are annual. The Records contain the results of original research dealing with material in the collections of Auckland Museum, and research carried out by Museum staff members in their particular subjects. All papers are refereed. Instructions for authors are given at the end of this, or recent volumes. The Records are distributed, largely by exchange, to libraries at about 250 academic institutions-throughout the world. Proposals for exchange agreements should be addressed to the Auckland Museum Library Manager. The contents of the Records are reported in Index New Zealand, Anthropological Index (Royal Anthropological Institute, London), Anthropological Literature (Harvard University), Biological Abstracts, Kew Record of Taxonomic Literature, Zoological Record and GeoRef (American Geological Institute). Vol. 34 contained indexes to the contents of volumes 1-33. Monographs are produced occasionally in the series Bulletin of the Auckland Museum (see website: Library Services/Museum Publications). © 2018, Auckland War Memorial Museum. Private Bag 92018, Auckland, New Zealand www.aucklandmuseum.com Cover image: The Mackelvie Gallery, Auckland War Memorial Museum. Photograph by Krzysztof Pfeiffer. Table of Contents Articles ‘A matter of duty’: the Egyptian collection at the Auckland War Memorial Museum Joshua Emmitt & Louise Furey 1 Preserving a legacy: an analysis of the role and function of the Mackelvie Trust Board, 1885−2010 Andrew McKay 17 ‘Your list is certainly a formidable one’: the Rev. A.H. Voyce and the Auckland Museum Moira White 27 The plants of Waya Island, Fiji Rhys O. Gardner 43 Charles De Kempeneer (c.1852–1884), preparator: one of Auckland Museum’s earliest employees B.J. Gill 77 ‘A matter of duty’: the Egyptian collection at the Auckland War Memorial Museum Joshua Emmitt School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, University of Auckland Louise Furey Auckland War Memorial Museum Abstract The Auckland War Memorial Museum houses nearly 2000 Egyptian artefacts dating from the Palaeolithic to the modern era. Artefacts were obtained from professional institutions and societies including Cairo Museum, the Egypt Exploration Society, and the British Museum in the early 20th century. In addition, a number of objects were obtained from ‘soldier collectors’ during World Wars I and II. The collection is made up of objects from around Egypt, but mainly consists of collections from Amarna, Saqqara, Kharga, Abydos, and Matmar, amongst others. Here the history of the collection is examined. Keywords Egypt; soldier collectors; Egypt Exploration Society; history of museum collections; Fred Waite; archaeology. INTRODUCTION fieldwork research teams around the world, for example the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology (Stevenson The acquisition history of the Egyptian archaeological and Challis 2015), but during the late 19th and early collection in Auckland Museum mirrors that of other 20th century thousands of artefacts were distributed large museums in New Zealand which sought to increase from foreign-led projects to institutions, museums, and their holdings of material for purposes of display and individuals around the world. A research project entitled education. The majority of the acquisitions were small, Artefacts of Excavation has traced many of the Egyptian peaking in the years of WWI and WWII, and immediately artefacts sent by British institutions to local and global after. In the intervening years the museum also acquired museums between 1880 and 1980 (Stevenson 2014; material from institutions in Egypt and England, and Stevenson et al. 2016). This project has provided data in some cases targeted objects from specific periods of on where specific objects are now, resulting in an online Egyptian history, based on the shifting interests of the database of object destinations and guides relating to the curators and directors over time, and the goal of having distributed material (egyptartefacts.griffith.ox.ac.uk). a “representative” collection. The project has helped establish the original contexts This paper has been developed out of a Collection of many of the objects in the collection of Auckland Readiness project to make the museum collections more Museum, much of which were unknown due in part to accessible and to improve the descriptions of items in the the lack of published data from sites at the time of object Egyptian collection. Previously uncatalogued material distribution. In addition to the professional sources, a was also described and records created, and records for small but significant component of the collection was Egyptian items in the archaeology collections increased obtained by New Zealanders who were stationed in from 1436 to 1918. Many objects have been imaged Egypt during WWI and WWII. and the records are accessible online: http://www. The Egyptian collection in the Auckland War aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections. In addition, Memorial Museum spans a time period from the research was carried out into the internal provenance of Palaeolithic through to the modern day, and come from many of the items obtained from known archaeological around the country, but primarily from the Nile Valley excavations. An earlier study of the history of the (Fig. 1). The Annual Reports of Auckland Institute and collection (Bol 2006) was drawn on and expanded with Museum from the 1870s and 1880s list the few Egyptian research into provenances of individual objects. acquisitions received from well-known Aucklanders Since 1983 the removal of objects from Egypt has including L.D. Nathan, James Russell, and John been restricted to only those authorised by the Antiquities Logan Campbell. Many of the wealthy individuals of Service. This directive has affected museums and the time undertook ‘Grand Tours’ of Europe and the Records of the Auckland Museum 53: 1–16 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.32912/ram.2018.53.1 2018 2 Joshua Emmitt and Louise Furey Figure 1. Map showing provenance of objects in the Auckland Museum Egyptian collection. Mediterranean, returning with objects and curios to increase the diversity of the museum’s collections. One decorate their residences and to donate to institutions such arrangement, with Professor Enrico H. Giglioli such as Auckland Museum. For instance, Logan of Florence Museum, resulted in the acquisition of a Campbell’s gifts to the museum in 1877 included beads mummy in 1896, which is discussed further below. and a kohl pot (Hamilton 2015). Thomas Cheeseman, Cheeseman also solicited objects, such as his request to Curator of Auckland Institute and Museum from the director of excavations at Beni Hasan, upon reading 1874–1923, actively sought to increase the collections in a periodical that there was surplus pottery available of the museum by corresponding with individuals for museums (letter, Cheeseman 5 April 1904). No items and overseas institutions and arranging exchanges of were received and a reply to Cheeseman’s letter has not surplus objects of New Zealand origin for new items to been found. ‘A matter of duty’: the Egyptian collection at the Auckland War Memorial Museum 3 CAIRO MUSEUM Thomas Cheeseman initiated correspondence with James Quibell, Keeper at Cairo Museum 1914–1923 Prior to 1914 the museum had a small Egyptian (Bierbrier 2012: 450), after an introduction by Dr A. collection. This changed after the start of WWI when the Challinor Purchas, medical officer with the NZEF New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was based in (Auckland Star, 29 January 1918; New Zealand Herald, Egypt for further training prior to being sent to Gallipoli. 30 January 1918). Auckland Museum sent 10 Egyptian The museum acknowledged public interest by seeking to Pounds (LE) to Cairo Museum, with Cheeseman expand the Egyptian collection: requesting as many objects as the sum would buy. Until 1970 Cario Museum had a sales room where objects “The active and historical part taken by the New from excavations could be bought (Piacentini 2011). Zealand Expeditionary Force in Egypt has attracted Quibell in a letter to the Cheeseman (31 January 1916), the attention of the Dominion to that country, and pre-empted what he saw as predictable questions such as for many years will continue to do so. Under these “Why do you not send me a list of objects on sale and circumstances, the Council considers that it is let me pick what I want?” to which he answered his own almost a matter of duty to commence the formation question by saying “it would be difficult to hold [objects] of a small Egyptian collection, which to a certain back for the necessary time. Good things sell like hot extent will allow the citizens of Auckland to cakes”. This highlights one of the issues of being so far personally inspect some of the remains of the oldest away as correspondence could take months or more, and known civilisation. Negotiations were consequently the market that the dealers of objects were operating in opened with the Gizeh Museum at Cairo, and a was of a faster pace. In addition, the correspondence was collection of over 70 articles has been obtained… occurring in the context of World War I, which would If circumstances permit, the Council hopes to cause other issues for the shipping of the objects. gradually follow up this beginning by future The material sent to Auckland is described briefly in consignments.” (Annual Report of the Auckland the Annual Report of the Auckland Institute and Museum Institute and Museum 1916–1917: 11) for 1917–1918: 9.