Display Window Archive: Sidney's South Seas Souvenirs

Years before Sidney W. Brown (1865-1941) found a home in Baden, he sought great adventure overseas. In 1888, the young engineer boarded a ship in Naples that would take him first to Sri Lanka, later to Indonesia and finally to Australia. Although Sidney Brown did not bring back the hoped-for mineral resources from the 14-month voyage to the former colonies, he did bring back a box of enigmatic oceanic artefacts that were to form the cornerstone of his exotic collection. The family archive invites you on an extraordinary journey with bold people and wonderful objects halfway around the globe and back.

Since 2019, the Display Window Archive (Schaufenster Archiv) has been displaying selected archival materials from the extensive holdings of the Museum Archive on a theme that changes twice a year. Since 2021, the format has been given its own presentation room on the upper floor of the Langmatt, which allows for small cabinet exhibitions.

Large parts of the archive were systematically indexed and partially digitised in 2017–18. It contains, among other things, certificates, letters, postcards, diaries and photographs from the Brown family estate. The time frame of the documents spans the years 1850 to 1987.

Main picture: Sidney W. Brown with two natives, Indonesia 1888, Archive Museum Langmatt