The British Museum and the Abyssinian Campaign, 1867–8

Abstract

In 1867–8, the British Museum sent a staff member on the Abyssinian Campaign. Richard Holmes, an assistant in the Manuscript Department, was embedded in the military invasion and looted important and sacred objects and manuscripts from the fortress of Emperor Tewodros II at Maqdala. This is one of the most significant examples of a museum colluding in colonial violence to gain objects for its collection. The article re-examines the case of Holmes, drawing on new research in the British Museum's archive and with important primary documents that have not yet received scholarly attention. The analysis focuses on the museum's objectives for the Campaign, the planning process and the actions of Holmes. I argue that while the museum was complicit in the violence perpetrated at Maqdala, its relationship with the military was complex. Multiple competing agendas became increasingly apparent as the actions of Holmes were progressively militarised. The article also examines the wider institutional links to the Abyssinian Campaign, including close political relationships that are important for understanding the trajectory of events and history of the British Museum's collections. More broadly, it sheds new light on the relationship between museums and colonial-military interventions in nineteenth-century Africa, demonstrating the tensions that were inherent in these projects.