Joest, Wilhelm (1852-1897)

Born in Cologne as the eldest son of a family of wealthy Protestant sugar merchants, Wilhelm Joest (1852–1896) started his career as an ethnographer with an extensive collecting journey through Asia (1879–1881). Supervised by Adolf Bastian, his doctoral thesis on the Gorontalo language was published in 1882, along with his first articles in the Zeitschrift für Ethnologie. These publications and his travelogues, together with his strategic donating of artefacts to various German ethnographic museums, quickly earned Joest a reputation. He went on two more expeditions, to Southern Africa (1883–1884) and to the Guianas (1890), published his main work Tätowiren, Narbenzeichnen und Körperbemalen (Tattooing, Ornamental Scars and Bodypainting) in 1887 and, finally, received his titular professorship in 1890. After his death, his collection fell to his sister Adele Rautenstrauch, who lobbied for the creation of an ethnographic museum in their hometown of Cologne. The Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum opened in 1906.

Keywords: Ethnology | Collectors and collections | Explorer | Colonialism | Decorations