Manuscripts, drawings, photographs and documents collection
The Manuscripts, Drawings, Photographs and Documents Collection (ZAE) holds over 50,000 items. The oldest were acquired in preparation for the 1896 Latvian Ethnographic Exhibition in Riga. To obtain the exhibits for the exhibition, the Riga Latvian Society organised 11 expeditions, during which more than 300 photographs were acquired, in addition to the material objects. Based on these photographs, there are unique charcoal drawings of the Latvian people by such artists as Janis Rozentāls, Ādams Alksnis, Johans Valters, Artūrs Baumanis, Teodors Zaļkalns and others.
The largest part of the collection (over 40,000 items) consists of the Monuments Board material. It includes descriptions, drawings and photographs of more than 77 rural-life subjects. The information collected covers the period from the second half of the 19th century to the time of the acquisition of the material in the 1920s and 1940s.
The collection also includes materials from the unfinished Latvian Culture Atlas, a project launched in 1939 by the Chamber of Latvian Literature and Art under the leadership of Krišjānis Ancītis. The plan was to survey the Latvian rural population to obtain information on a variety of topics relating to the period from the mid-19th century to World War I. It was halted by World War II and the occupation of Latvia but over 2,500 units of material have survived, sent in from all over Latvia by the Latvian Culture Atlas contributors.
The ZAE also contains collections of individual enthusiasts – explorers and gatherers of the ethnographic material. These include images by photographers Mārtiņš Buclers, Mārtiņš Sams, Jānis Rieksts, drawings of Southern Kurzeme traditional clothing patterns by teacher Jānis Sudmalis, and materials about Kurzeme mills and dowry chests gathered in 1985 and 1986 by Ernests Leduskukainis, a former Tārgale mill miller. The most extensive set of materials is the collection of engineer Rolands Puriņš from the 1970s–1980s: over 3,000 photographs, descriptions and sketches documenting Latvian mills, various ethnographic objects, buildings, and other topics.
Curator of the manuscripts, drawings, photographs and documents collection Sintija Reča
In order to research the museum’s collection in person, those interested are invited to fill out the contact form, indicating the topic of interest and the chronology. After receiving the form, a museum specialist will contact you.