The Art of Collecting: Charles Pearcy Mountford

Abstract

Charles Pearcy Mountford (1890–1976) is often underestimated as a professional and museum collector. His (almost accidental) involve-ment in the disciplines of anthropology and archaeology, and his contribution to the formation of museum/art gallery collections of Indigenous Australian objects, was extensive and controversial. In particular, his focus on the collection of works of art by Aboriginal art-ists has meant that today most Australian capital city art galleries and museums hold and exhibit examples of the so-called ‘Mountford barks’. Yet, given his lack of formal anthropological training, his research and collecting was always destined to attract controversy. Mountford was ostracised by the anthropological fraternity for being an untrained amateur anthropologist—really just a collector. He did, however, have his supporters in the Commonwealth Government of Australia, the National Geographic Society and numerous overseas institutions. The mutually beneficial relationships he formed with these institutions led to a long career as photographer, anthropolo-gist, expedition leader and collector. In this chapter I discuss Charles Mountford’s career and focus on the 1948 American–Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land (AASEAL) as a case study of his collecting strategies.