Everyday Culture Collection I

The MfDG of the GDR began collecting everyday objects in 1953, at the time partly under the heading Material Culture. Following the DHM’s takeover of the holdings in 1990, three separate collections were established. First known together as Everyday Culture, the three parts were reduced to the two specialist areas, Everyday Culture I and II in 2015.

The Everyday Culture I collection consists of a wide variety of objects that people use and are surrounded by in their private lives or working environments throughout their lives. It has also two sub-collections: Toys and Sound Recordings.

The Everyday Culture I collection currently comprises around 85,000 catalogued objects manufactured from a wide variety of materials and in various formats. It spans the time from the Middle Ages to the present day, with a distinct emphasis on the 19th and 20th centuries. Due to extensive acquisitions over time, the thematic focal points of this highly heterogeneous collection include objects relating to trade and advertising, agriculture and home economics, the history of technology and medicine, toys and sound recordings, as well as a large collection of industrial publications and everyday objects from the GDR.