Musée Islandique

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Bjarni Jonsson: Olöf Nordal

In 1856 an expedition led by Jérôme Napoléon, crown prince of France, arrived in this country. The explorers‘ aim was to document and research life in the far North. Samples and data were collected on natural resources and climate, lifeways and culture. One element of the data collection was a study of the native population, and plaster casts of selected Icelanders were made during the voyage for anthropological purposes. After the prince’s excursion was concluded, the fruits of the journey were put on display in the Palais Royale in Paris under the title Musée Islandique. The plaster images are preserved in storage by the Musée de l’Homme, Paris and El Museo Canario, Las Palmas.

Árið 1856 kom hingað til lands landkönnunarleiðangur undir forystu Jérômes Napoleon krónprins Frakka. Markmið ferðarinnar var að skrá og rannsaka líf á norðurslóðum. Safnað var sýnum og upplýsingum um landkosti og náttúrufar, lifnaðarhætti og menningu. Hluti af gagnaöfluninni fól í sér kynþáttarannsóknir á innfæddum og voru í ferðinni gerðar gifsafsteypur af völdum Íslendingum í mannfræðilegum tilgangi.  Að loknum leiðangri prinsins var afrakstur ferðarinnar sýndur í Palais Royale í París undir yfirskriftinni Musée Islandique. Gifsmyndirnar eru varðveittar í geymslum Musée de l’Homme, París og í El Museo Canario, Las Palmas.