E.I. Lamansky’s Notes on Western European Museum Collections

In 1857–1858, Yevgeny Ivanovich Lamansky, Secretary of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society, undertook a scientific mission to European centers. The purpose of the trip was to establish contacts with foreign scientific institutions and study their experience. In his reports and letters, Lamansky described libraries, statistical, and geographical organizations in detail. When mentioning museums, he expressed interest primarily in geographical and ethnographic collections. He was particularly impressed by the institutions in Brussels and Dresden, as well as the anthropological cabinet in Paris.