Blumenbach, Johann Friedrich (1752-1840)

Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (1752-1840) was among the most influential German anthropologists of his time. A doctor of medicine, he was professor at the Göttingen university and curator of the university museum. Blumenbach’s name is linked to physical and racial anthropology, due, among other reasons, to his division of mankind into five principal racial groups, which is regarded as the first modern racial classification. As the Kingdom of Hanover was then under the British Crown, Blumenbach had privileged access to the naturalist and ethnological materials coming from the British colonies and from James Cook’s travels. His famous collection of over 200 skulls, still housed at the University of Göttingen, is just one of the reasons why Blumenbach remains a controversial figure in the history of science.

Keywords: Physical anthropology | Natural History | 18^th century | First half of the 19^th century | Germany | Racial Classification | “Caucasian Race”