|
see also:
- Out of Africa there is always something
new by J.A. van den Heever
-
Growth of a Collection (Ethnology Collection)
by E. M.Shaw
William Sclater was born in 1863 and was educated at Oxford, obtaining a
First Class Honours in Natural Science in 1885. For a few years he was Deputy
Superintendent of the Indian Museum in Calcutta and in 1896 he was appointed as
the first Director of the South African Museum by the Board of Trustees.
Sclater's first tasks were to fill the new Museum building with fresh
displays, to put the library into good order, to set up a proper registration
system, to set up a framework for collecting and research and above all, to make
the Museum known throughout the scientific world through the periodical
publication, the Annals of the South African Museum.
The financial situation was easier during this decade than it had been in the
past. In 1897 the new Museum was opened to the public and attracted a great deal
of attention with 56 723 visitors in the first nine months. Since many visitors
had been taught in Nederlands, Sclater started a system of bilingual labelling
which was generally appreciated. Another innovation was Sunday afternoon opening
which proved very successful. From 1903, school parties were given conducted
tours.
Since the Museum had ceased to be a "one man show", Sclater began the
departmental system, each unit being staffed by scientists. All departments
helped in Museum display as well as in collecting and undertaking research. He
was also the first to recognize the importance of studies in local cultural
history and greatly encouraged the accumulation of collections in this subject.
Sclater resigned in 1906 and for the following thirty years he worked in the
British Museum (Natural History). In July 1944 he was killed by a V1 flying bomb
in London. |
