1 Spoils of war
-
Edward M. Spiers
Abstract
This chapter reviews the evolution of British military practices in the acquisition of valuable artefacts, battlefield trophies, and other curios from the wars of empire in Africa. It sets the practices of appropriation and acquisition in Africa, which begin with the Anglo–Abyssinian campaign (1867-8), in a broader context, including past imperial practices in India and China, looting in the Peninsular War, and the formal codes that had developed to regulate the division and handling of prizes seized in war. It notes that the quasi-official practices, endorsed at various times by governments and parliament, coexisted with unofficial practices. It emphasises, too, that major acquisitions were brought back for the royal collections, and that the British military were joined in these practices by war correspondents, museum representatives, and colonial allies. The chapter reflects upon the various ways in which items were acquired and traded, and how they were transported from source back to the United Kingdom, noting how some have been preserved in private collections, often within stately homes, or in national and regimental museums.
Abstract
This chapter reviews the evolution of British military practices in the acquisition of valuable artefacts, battlefield trophies, and other curios from the wars of empire in Africa. It sets the practices of appropriation and acquisition in Africa, which begin with the Anglo–Abyssinian campaign (1867-8), in a broader context, including past imperial practices in India and China, looting in the Peninsular War, and the formal codes that had developed to regulate the division and handling of prizes seized in war. It notes that the quasi-official practices, endorsed at various times by governments and parliament, coexisted with unofficial practices. It emphasises, too, that major acquisitions were brought back for the royal collections, and that the British military were joined in these practices by war correspondents, museum representatives, and colonial allies. The chapter reflects upon the various ways in which items were acquired and traded, and how they were transported from source back to the United Kingdom, noting how some have been preserved in private collections, often within stately homes, or in national and regimental museums.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures vii
- List of contributors xi
- Preface xv
- Acknowledgements xviii
- List of abbreviations xix
- Introduction 1
-
Part I: Ideologies of empire and governance
- 1 Spoils of war 19
- 2 The agency of objects 39
- 3 Collecting and the trophy 60
-
Part II: Military collecting cultures
- 4 Soldiering archaeology 85
- 5 The officers’ mess 106
- 6 Seeing Tibet through soldiers’ eyes 128
- 7 A regimental culture of collecting 162
- 8 Military histories of ‘Summer Palace’ objects from China in military museums in the United Kingdom 187
- 9 Indigenising folk art 205
- 10 Community consultation and the shaping of the National Army Museum’s Insight gallery 229
- 11 Mementoes of power and conquest 247
- Afterword 269
- Archival sources 284
- Bibliography 287
- Index 314
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures vii
- List of contributors xi
- Preface xv
- Acknowledgements xviii
- List of abbreviations xix
- Introduction 1
-
Part I: Ideologies of empire and governance
- 1 Spoils of war 19
- 2 The agency of objects 39
- 3 Collecting and the trophy 60
-
Part II: Military collecting cultures
- 4 Soldiering archaeology 85
- 5 The officers’ mess 106
- 6 Seeing Tibet through soldiers’ eyes 128
- 7 A regimental culture of collecting 162
- 8 Military histories of ‘Summer Palace’ objects from China in military museums in the United Kingdom 187
- 9 Indigenising folk art 205
- 10 Community consultation and the shaping of the National Army Museum’s Insight gallery 229
- 11 Mementoes of power and conquest 247
- Afterword 269
- Archival sources 284
- Bibliography 287
- Index 314
