Collecting the Nineteenth Century

Abstract

"Published as Waterman, Sue. "Collecting the Nineteenth Century". Representations. 90 (2005), 98-128. © 2005 by the Regents of the University of California. Copying and permissions notice: Authorization to copy this content beyond fair use (as specified in Sections 107 and 108 of the U. S. Copyright Law) for internal or personal use, or the internal or personal use of specific clients, is granted by the Regents of the University of California for libraries and other users, provided that they are registered with and pay the specified fee via Rightslink® on [Caliber (http://caliber.ucpress.net/)] or directly with the Copyright Clearance Center, http://www.copyright.com."The linking of a series of 19th century collections of a prominent Belgian family reveals more than just the outlines of the cultures of 19th century collecting. The bonds of scientific confraternity, of family and of love, are perhaps not as strong as those of time and memory. And the nature of the Archive may be at times both fluid and uncertain