In the second half of the nineteenth century and the first decades of the twentieth century the collecting of objects from colonized countries and their subsequent display in western museums was widespread throughout Western Europe. How and why these collections were made, the processes of collection, and by whom, has only recently begun to be addressed. This thesis is an exploration of the ethnographic collection of Gertrude Emily Benham (1867-1938) who made eight voyages independently around the world from 1904 until 1938, during which time she amassed a collection of approximately eight hundred objects, which she donated to Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery in 1935. It considers how and why she formed her collection and how, as a an amateur and marginalised collector, she can be located within discourses on ethnographic collecting. The thesis is organised by geographical regions in order to address the different contact zones of colonialism as well as to contextualise Benham within the cultural milieu in which she collected and the global collection of objects that she collected. An interdisciplinary perspective was employed to create a dialogue between anthropology, geography, museology, postcolonial and feminist theory to address the complex issues of colonial collecting. Benham is located within a range of intersecting histories: colonialism, travel, collecting, and gender. This study is the first in-depth examination of Benham as a collector and adds to the knowledge and understanding of Benham and her collection in Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery. It contributes to the discourse on ethnographic collectors and collecting and in doing so it acknowledges the agency and contribution of marginal collectors to resituate them as a central and intrinsic component in the formation of the ethnographic museum. In addition, and central to this, is the agency and role of indigenous people in forming ethnographic collections. The thesis offers a foundation for further research into women ethnographic collectors and a more nuanced and inclusive account of ethnographic collecting.

La période qui s’étende de la fin du XVIIIe siècle à la première moitié du XIXe constitue un âge d’or de la numismatique chinoise. Suite à l’édition en 1751 du Qinding qianlu, nombreux sont les collectionneurs qui s’intéressent à la monnaie et qui s’engagent dans la publication de catalogues, de monographies ou d’études érudites. Ces publications qui s’inspirent des méthodes appliquées en littérature par le courant d’érudition appelé l’ « Ecole des vérifications et des preuves » (kaozhengxue), entraînent une révolution méthodologique dans les études numismatiques. L’œuvre la plus représentative de cette période est le Guquanhui de Li Zuoxian (1807-1876) publiée en 1864. Cet ouvrage rassemble les collections, ainsi que les idées d’une communauté de passionnés qui correspondaient régulièrement, s’échangeaient des monnaies, estampages ou encore manuscrits et se réunissaient parfois. Mettre en évidence la nature des correspondances entre membres de ce cercle et l’existence d’échanges marchands et amicaux entre passionnés à la capitale permet de comprendre dans quelle mesure les échanges informels ont contribué à l’élaboration de critères d’étude des monnaies et à faire faire un bond qualitatif sans précédent à la numismatique chinoise. Il s’agit de voir quand quelle mesure les réseaux de sociabilité existant entre collectionneurs ont contribué aux progrès significatifs de cette époque, c’est-à-dire de retracer l’apparition d’une exigence de scientificité dans le milieu des collectionneurs privés. Cette recherche questionne aussi l’articulation entre le goût de la collection et la réflexion historique savante. / The period from the late eighteenth century to the mid-nineteenth constitutes a golden age for Chinese numismatics. Following the publication in 1751 of the Qinding qianlu (The Imperially Ordered Catalogue of Coins), many collectors became interested in coins and engaged themselves in publishing catalogues, monographs, or studies. These publications using the methods employed in littérature by the « Evidential studies » (kaozhengxue), created a révolution in methods in numismatics studies. The most représentative work of this period is the Guquanhui (Catalogue of Ancient Coins) published by Li Zuoxian (1807-1876) in 1864. This book brings together the collections and the ideas of a community of collectors that met regularly, exchanged coins, rubbings or unpublished documents. These informal exchanges have contributed to the invention of criteria for the study of coins and to the qualitative leap made in Chinese numismatics. An attempt will be made to understand how social networks between collectors have conrtbuted to the significant progress of that time, and to trace the emergence of a requirement of scientific approach among coin collectors. This reserch also questions the relation betwwen the taste for collection and historical thinking.