Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology, Natural history museum in Florence, Italy
The Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology is a natural history museum in Florence that holds about 15,000 ethnological artifacts and around 6,100 anthropological objects within the Palazzo Nonfinito. The collections come from many countries and are displayed in the rooms of this historic building in the city.
The museum was founded in 1869 by Paolo Mantegazza and was Italy's first comprehensive anthropological research institution. It grew from a private collection of objects that Mantegazza had gathered over many years.
The collection shows objects from many cultures around the world, including pieces from the Pacific regions and Africa displayed within the Palazzo Nonfinito rooms. Visitors can see how people in different places lived and what items mattered to them in daily life.
The museum is housed in an old palazzo and takes time to explore since the collections are spread across several floors. It helps to find out beforehand which areas interest you, as the building can be tricky to navigate from the inside.
The museum preserves a specialized collection of about 26,000 photographic prints and 7,000 negatives that document global anthropological research. These photography archives show field studies and discoveries from various parts of the world across many decades.
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