Collections

The first statute of the Tallinn City History Museum founded in 1937 reads: “The aim of the Tallinn City History Museum is to obtain, gather and preserve all the items of historical and artistic value that are directly or indirectly connected with Tallinn, as well as to study them and introduce them to the wider public.”

The same principles have been leading collecting and studying through decades. By the end of 2005 the Tallinn City Museum had collected 154 000 items that are being taken care of by 11 curators, 2 conservators and the chief curator.

The collections are growing mostly due to donations and the collecting work carried out by the curators. Some more historically valuable items have also been purchased.

About collections

Collection of archaeology

The Tallinn City Museum archaeology collection comprises 24 988 items (2005). The collection could be divided into two parts, the first – the more ancient archaeology and the second – the medieval archaeology of Tallinn.

The biggest part of the older collection comprises finds from the Proosa cairn at the River Pirita. The objects from the cairn date from the 4th to the 13th century, i.e. from the Estonian ancient history. They reveal the Estonian material culture and prove our Scandinavian contacts. A part of the collection is made up of stray finds in the vicinity of Tallinn and in the town proper, like, for instance, the stone axe from the 13th century that was found at the Schnelli pond, and the bronze hollow axe from the 10th-11th century B.C. found at Lake Ülemiste, as well as several smaller collections. The items in the collection of medieval objects have been obtained at several archaeological excavations in Tallinn but also at canalization works. A special part of the collection is comprised of objects from the Pirita Monastery. The collection gives a good idea of objects in use in the territory of Tallinn from the 11th up to the 18th century. There are ancient spears and arrowheads, Estonian brooches and jewellery of the Votic people. Some fragments of textile from the 14th century were found in Harju Street. The collection is complemented with local as well as imported earthenware, shreds of faience from the Netherlands and Chinese porcelain, pieces of leather goods, metal tools and jewellery. The finds resemble those of other Hanseatic towns in Europe.

Documents collection

This collection comprises manuscripts, books, documents maps and plans, calendars, posters and newspapers and journals beginning from the 18th century (a few single copies from the 16th and 17th centuries) up to today. Among the 10 000 items we can find old beautifully designed documents bearing sealing-wax seals, certificates proving completed journeyman’s work or masterpieces; maps, Tallinn plans from different periods, documents about the life and work of Tallinn craftsmen, calendars and Bibles, materials concerning the soviet-time public figures, posters that reveal the political ideology of their time, advertisements for theatre performances and exhibitions and a lot of various interesting items.

Collection of cultural history

By the end of 2005 there were 8000 items connected with the mode of life of the Tallinn people. The older part of the collection comprises collections of the Tallinn Black Heads and the Tallinn Swedish St Michael’s Church. The collection includes many 16th – early 20th-century forged building details, like door- and window –hinges, knocker plates, weather-vanes, locks and other items. The biggest items from the 19th and early 20th century are the collections of clocks, lamps, weighs and measures, copper vessels. The 1920s and –30s are rather well represented with dishes, packages, covers,wrappings, implements etc. There are examples of contemporary industrial productions, like that of confectionery factory Kawe, Estonian Galalith Factory O. Kerson & Ko., O. Seene’s Bakery and others. There are also Soviet-time examples of the Salvo, Leek and Polümeer up to present-day Kalev.

Ceramics collection

comprises about 2600 items (2005). The most valuable part of the collection is the 37-item set of Tallinn faience, made at the Carl Christian Fick Manufacture in 1772-1782. The oldest items come from the antique period: a little jug from the 2nd century B.C. and two oil lamps from the second half of the 1st century A.D. Pharmaceutical vessels of the 16th-17th century (the albarelli) were decorated with polychrome-on- glazing d?©cor. There are 18th century Delft vases and wall plates decorated with chinoiserie or blue Dutch-style under-the-glaze painting. Porcelain is represented by products from German (Meissen, Berlin Manufactory, Villeroy Boch) and Russian (Gardner, Kornilov’s manufactory, the Kuznetsov Factory) factories. N. Langebraun’s porcelain factory and AS Savi represent the 1930s, ARS the 1960s-1995 and the products of the Tallinn ceramics Factory the 1970s and 1980s.

Tiles collection

contains over 2000 items. They have been obtained in the second half of the 1950s from the Estonian Art Museum, purchased from collectors (Narva, Samma manor), found during restorations of Tallinn buildings or at archaeological digs. There are a few tiles and fragments with renaissance d?©cor from the 16th century. The relief tiles of the 17th century are best represented by the carolus- and the tiles decorated with a bunch of carnations. The 18th-century baroque and rococo tiles with white and blue cobalt d?©cor are well represented. The early 20th century is represented by tiles from the Schultz factory in Tallinn.

Bricks collection

contains 77 bricks and roof-tiles. The oldest of them were found in the course of restorations in Tallinn buildings. In the 1960s products of the Tallinn Construction Plant Männiku and the Tallinn Construction Ceramics Plant were collected.

Seals collection

contains about 350 seals and seal stamps. The oldest part of the collection comprises the seals of Tallinn crafts guilds. Seals of towns, courts, societies, municipal offices of towns and parishes date from the early 20th century. Single signet sealt and initials seals date mostly from the 19th and early 20th century.

Decorative leather collection

comprises 550 items. The oldest among them are fragments of leather from a 17th-century wallcover, found in the house at 5, Lai Street. The 18th century is represented by a few items that belonged to Tallinn guilds and the 19th by albums, the covers of which are decorated in mixed techniques.

Estonian decorative leather comes from E. Taska’s training-centre workshop, Karl Haupt’s and Oskar Tamjärv’s studio workshops. Quite an extensive part of the collection is made up of pieces made by the artists of the ARS in 1960-1990. There are also examples made by masters from the fancy goods combine Linda and handicrafts association Uku.

Photo history collection

is housed in the Photo Museum and is the biggest collection of the Tallinn City Museum. It contains 63 000 photos and negatives. Specialists consider this collection one of the best archives of Tallinn views in Estonia. Photos of Tallinn beginning from the 1870s up to the present are preserved in the collection. In addition to the beautiful Old Town there are photos of the wooden houses of suburbs. The treasures of the whole are author’s collections by such Estonian photographers of great renown like J. and P. Parikas, N. Nyländer, J. Mühlberg and C. Sarap. All the popular annual exhibitions of the Photo Museum have been arranged only from the items of this collection.

The display of photographic implements is a great help to those who are interested in the history of photography. 864 historical cameras and fittings are being preserved in the museum. Among them is the famous minicamera Minox invented in Estonia.

Old and new textbooks and catalogues come handy to gain information about the history of phtography. The document collection contains 1961 interesting manuscripts and printed items.

The collection of congratulatory postcards (1374 items) gives a good survey of the development from the short message carrier to the beautifully designed picture postcard.

Glass collection

contains about 2000 items. The oldest of them is a small green glass bottle made at the Hüti manufactory in the 17th century. Russian, German, English and French pieces represent the 18th and 19th centuries. The main body of the collection, though, is made up of pieces produced in Tallinn (J.Lorup’s Glass Factory, Tarbeklaas, workshops of cut glass Aare, IPPE, Helk, Briljant). Professor Maks Roosma’s masterly engraved pieces (Adagio, Kalev’s Flight on the Eagle, Kalevipoeg’s Fight with the Warlocks) and his students’ decorative glass from 1960-1970 are also preserved in the collection.

Art collection

of the Tallinn City Museum is not big and contains either pieces of art depicting Tallinn or those in some way connected with the town. The most valuable part of the collection is made up of 19th-century litographs, views of Tallinn by several masters. Th.Gelhaar, Ed.Hostein and L.Petersen are best known among them. The oldest pieces of their kind are engravings from the travelogue by A.Olearius from the 17th century. N. Kull’s cityscapes in oil represent the 20th century. The European rulers’ portrait collection of the Tallinn Black Heads is quite original, even without containing any rarities as it is one of the biggest collections of historical portraits in Estonia. The sculpture collection that is a part of the art collection is not numerous but its older and better part are wooden figures from the Town Hall benches of the 15th century.


Toy collection

is housed in the Children’s Museum and includes toys for boys and girls, almost 1700 items in all. The oldest toy is a small leather ball from the 15th century. The oldest doll dates from the first half of the 18th century and is a fashion doll in an original rococo costume. There are valuable and beautiful biscuit porcelain from the second half of the 19th and early 20th century, made by famous German and French companies. Tallinn-made big papier m?¢ch?© dolls from the 1930s are in a group of their own. There are also celluloid dolls from the pre-war and post-war periods, souvenir dolls, Barbies, paper dolls and many dolls made after the war in Germany and USSR., dolls’ furniture, prams, dishes and clothes. There are teddybears that are almost a century old and other toy animals, cars, trams, buses, trains and even a big man-of-war from 1910. There is a set of board- and card-games, a cardboard theatre from the second half of the 19th century. The collection is constantly growing thanks to donations.

Collection of badges and medals

contains 3166 items (end of 2005) that mostly reflect events in Estonia or that were made in Estonia but there are a few badges and medals made in Russia or elsewhere. The most interesting one made in Estonia is the badge of the 1869 song festival. Various medals made for agricultural societies, medals and orders from the Estonian Republic times, such as the Cross of Freedom and the Order of the White Star are worth mentioning, too. The collection of Soviet-time Tallinn souvenir badges made after artists’ designs in the ARS is complete, just like the collection of 1980 Olympic Games. Among the Russian items the Anna Order, Vladimir Order, Georg Order as well as medals from Peter I’s times issued on occasion of seizing Tallinn, Tartu and Narva, are of great interest. Some Soviet-time orders and medals, such as Lenin’s Order and the Order of the Red Banner of Labour, are considered more valuable than others.

Furniture collection

comprises 470 items that reflect the styles of different periods in the many boxes, chests and travelling cases and trunks, sitting and lounging pieces, sideboards and cupboards, mirrors and grandfather clocks. The most valuable pieces are the boxes and cases of Tallinn craft guilds from the 17th –19th centuries and the wooden and iron chests the oldest of which come from the 15th century. The town councillors’ bench from the 14th century that can be seen in the Town Hall, must be specially mentioned, just like the chairs from the 18th and 19th century that once belonged to the Black Heads. The baroque furniture is displayed in Peter I’s Cottage. The later period is represented by pieces made at A/S Luther Factory and the collection is completed by some single pieces and also sets from the different decades of the 20th century.

Numismatics collection

contains banknotes and coins. A fifth of the collection is made up of coins found in the offertory of the former St John’s Almshouse. The oldest is the copper coin of Caesar Constantine, cast in the first half of the 4th century. Coins of the Russian Empire from the 18th and 19th century, Swedish copper coins from the 17th century and Soviet banknotes and coins are comparatively well represented. The whole collection is complemented by various banknotes and coins of other European, Asian and American countries from the 19th and 20th century. Medieval metal coins from Tallinn and Livonian towns are few. German banknotes with huge nominal value are a sort of curiosity from the times of inflation in 1923.

Library

The researchers of the museum can use the library of over 6000 items, containing reference books, dictionaries, special museological literature but, above all, studies on the local history of Tallinn and other towns, history and cultural history books concerning Estonia and Western Europe. Most of the literature is in the Estonian, German, English and Russian languages. The most valuable part of the library contains collected documents from the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries, such as publications of Dr F.G.von Bunge (e.g. Liv-, Est- und Curländisches Urkundebuch) or these of the Tallinn Town Archives. The oldest book is Patriotische Gedanken und Vorschlage, über die Cultur der Naturgeschichte Ehstlan, in Beziehung auf die Technologie by P.F.Körber, Nachricht aus Russland by C. Martin from 1731, Adressbuch der Revalischen Statthalterschaft from 1787 and Revalscher Kalender auf das Jahr 1812.

The library also has full issues of the journals Pilt ja Sõna, Keel ja Kirjandus, Looming (beginning from 1941, 1945), Kultuur ja Elu, Nõukogude naine. As for the newspapers, Sirp (formerly Sirp ja vasar) has been subscribed.

Collection of ashlars (and hewn construction details)

Stonecarving has a long tradition in Tallinn, starting from the 13th century and lasting up to the times when the use of natural stone decreased in the 18th century. The Tallinn City Museum ashlars collection contains examples from different periods and buildings: window posts together with their capitals and bases, lintels and arches of interior portals, fireplace piers, window frame fragments and flagstone slabs with coats of arms and owners’ marks, ashlars, sundials and tombstones. The work of Arent Passer, the most outstanding renaissance master locally, is well represented. Among more interesting items are also the tondos from the Weights Hall that was destroyed by the Soviet air raid on 9 March 1944 and the memorial to the Black Heads killed in the battle near Tallinn in 1561.

Collection of weapons

has been put together from separate collections. The most important of them was Colonel Georg Leets’ collection created before the Second World War. The weapons of the Black Heads are also in the collection. Quite an amount of weapons date from the 19th and the first half of the 20th century. The oldest item is a sword from the 14th century, there are a few examples from the 16th and 17th centuries. As for the firearms, rifles, pistols and revolvers come as military, hunting and sports weapons. The collection also includes a few 18th-19th-century guns and some 20th-century machine-guns. Cold steel is represented by various swords and bayonets. There are also some exotic pieces of cold steel from the Far East and Africa. The same collection preserves also defence items like coats of mail, armour, shields and gasmasks.

Collection of textiles

contains 3370 items. The rarities of the collection are the seven tapestries woven in Enghien, Neatherlands in 1547, i.e. the two wall hangings depicting the stories from King Solomon’s life and five bench covers or verdures. The antependium of St Olaf’s Church dates from the mid-16th century and was evidently given to the church by town councillor Lutke van Oyten. The collection embraces a costume and underwear collection beginning from the late 19th century. The oldest examples of handicrafts are obviously the mid-17th century embroidered banner and 18th-century drum covers that belonged to the Black Heads. Items made at Louise Rebenitz’s handicrafts school in the early 20th century are remarkable as well. In 1950 the textile collection was complemented with the flags and banners of the Tallinn Fire Brigade.

Pewter collection

contains items of various functions but the biggest part of them are pewter dishes. The18th-century plates, platters and cups used in the Town Hall and sets of dishes that belonged to the Black Heads, make up almost a half of the whole collection. The oldest items – some single jugs – may date back to the late 15th or early 16th century. Tankards of different size and design date from the 17th up to the early 19th century, there are also beermugs, turreens, bowls and goblets. Several jugs and tankards belonged to the Tallinn crafts guilds. The 19th-century pewter is represented by candlesticks, inkpots and souvenir cups.Chocolate moulds from the early 20th century are a group in their own right just as the prize plates of the second half of the 20th century.

Collection of precious metals

is mostly made up of silver items that give a good survey of Tallinn goldsmith’s crafts beginning from the early 16th century up to our days. On 31 December 2005 there were 1206 items in the collection.

The crown of the collection are the silver set of Town Council’s tax jugs and the ceremonial silver goblets, cups and beakers of Tallinn crafts guilds – all made by local masters.

Wealthier citizens started to purchase silver from Petersburgian masters at the end of the 19th century and some of these items represent the period in our collection as well. In the early 20th century several masters of great renown, such as Joseph Kopf, Richard Lange and Roman Tavast, established their workshops in Tallinn. The latter’s workshop was nationalized and renamed Tallinn Jewellery Factory in 1950. A selection of the aforementioned masters’ work is represented in the collection.

Data about the curators:

Head of the collections department: Lea Sillart, lea.sillart@linnamuuseum.ee, ph.: (+372) 6155194

Archaeology: Kadri Nigulas, kadri.nigulas@linnamuuseum.ee, ph.: (+372) 6155194

Photos and negatives: Mall Parmas, mall.parmas@linnamuuseum.ee, ph.: (+372) 6448767

Collection of  cultural history, ceramics and decorative leather: Ene Heimvell, ene.heimvell@linnamuuseum.ee, ph.: (+372) 6155191

Glass and textiles: Urve Mankin, urve.mankin@linnamuuseum.ee, ph.: (+372) 6155190

Art: Risto Paju, risto-paju@linnamuuseum.ee, ph.: (+372) 6155186

Documents and library: Reet Priilaht, reet.priilaht@linnamuuseum.ee, ph.: (+372) 6155182

Ashlars: Toomas Abiline, toomas.abiline@linnamuuseum.ee, ph.: (+372)6459626

Furniture, tiles and bricks: Kristiina Hiiesalu, kristiina.hiiesalu@linnamuuseum.ee, ph.: (+372) 6442332

Numismatics, weapons, seals, pewter, badges and medals: Ando Pajus, ando.pajus@linnamuuseum.ee, ph. : (+372) 6155185