A Bavarian royal visits the Native Americans
Look at a list of historical female explorers-cum-writers and you will find such illustrious personalities as Gertrude Bell and Freya Stark. One name, though, you are unlikely to come across is that of Princess Theresa of Bavaria, who has until now received little public attention, despite being no less determined and unorthodox than better-known explorers, such as Dian Fossey. She was born in Munich in 1850, the daughter of Princess Auguste of Tuscany and the Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria. Together with her brothers Ludwig, Arnulf and Leopold, Theresa was educated by her mother and a bevy of private tutors. Her favorite subjects were geography and the natural sciences and she spoke at least five languages. Currently showing at the Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde is “Prinzessin Therese von Bayern: Eine Bildungsreise zu den Indianern im Jahre 1893” (Princess Theresa of Bavaria: An Educational Journey to the North American Indians in the Year 1893) as part of the exhibition in the North America Hall. The main purpose of the princess’s four-month educational trip was to observe the differences between the North and South American Indians—the princess had visited Brazil in 1888—and to visit the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. This was held during the whole summer of 1893 and received some 21 million visitors. About a third of the exhibition was dedicated to North America, so the princess was able to meet Native Americans and purchase ethnographic objects. Theresa had traveled extensively before visiting North America, including many trips within Europe and to North Africa, and was 43 years old when she embarked on this journey. She traveled by train, first following the Canadian border and then south along the Mexican border. She left her Pullman wagon on four occasions to make excursions on horseback to Indian reservations and national parks, such as Yosemite. As can be seen from her passport, which is exhibited, the princess traveled incognito, under the pseudonym of Countess Elpen. The curator of North American ethnology, Jean-Loup Rousselot, is keen to stress that while she was an open-minded traveler and enjoyed the adventure, she was first and foremost “a scientific, working traveler, not merely someone curious to see the world.” About half of the objects in this exhibition were collected by the princess during her trip (these objects are marked with a symbol of a locomotive). The collection is very important for the museum, as it gives an insight into North American Indian culture in the early years of reservations and, as a woman, the princess had returned with very different objects from the men who had traveled before her. Previously, collections had consisted of weapons and saddles whereas her objects included clothing, shoes and jewelry and examples of early tourist art. The central portion of the exhibition documents the cultural differences between tribes. Display cases on the left show items from the nomadic Plains Indians, mainly shoes, clothes and bags made from leather and decorated with glass beads, which were used extensively to identify different tribes. A particularly interesting object is a colorful, beaded bag. Small sacks of this type were made by mothers when their children were born and were used to store the umbilical cord. The bag was then hung on the cradle as a talisman, and later sewn into the back of the child’s shirt. The display cases on the right are devoted to the contrasting cultures of the Southwest Indians. These people were farmers and lived in houses made of adobe or stone, called pueblos, rather than the teepees we tend to associate with North American Indians. The collection includes weaving, pottery, baskets and jewelry from New Mexico and Arizona. The necklaces, one made from beads and one from the bones of bird legs, would not look remotely out of place in the window of any present-day jeweler. A beautiful coral bracelet on display is an example of what the Indians used to trade among themselves before the Europeans arrived. As well as the objects Princess Theresa brought back from her trip, the exhibition offers examples of her handwriting, a photograph of her private collection at the Residenz with an accompanying catalogue, copies of her publications and excerpts from her journal. This fascinating exhibition presents not only historical but also contemporary pieces, allowing the visitor to see North American Indian culture in a new light. It also caters to children, who have their own low-mounted display cases, showing figures and animals, and even a secret tunnel to crawl through, with a lit display case to discover inside. “Prinzessin Therese von Bayern: Eine Bildungsreise zu den Indianern im Jahre 1893” is showing in the North America Hall at the Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde. Open Tues.–Sun. 9:30 am–5:15 pm. Every Sunday at 11 am there are free talks on subjects relating to this exhibition. Visit www.voelkerkundemuseum-muenchen.de. for more information.