Samples of Perfection

Samples of Perfection – Origins of the Design Museum Collection (Current Architecture & Design Museum)

By: Leena Elina Valkeapää

The Collection of the Design Museum Helsinki began as a selection of objects acquired from the Vienna World’s Fair of 1873. Finland was then an autonomous Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire. A diverse mix of over 700 objects ranging from lace to cement were purchased with citizen-donated funds. A further 300 items from chairs to ceramic tiles were acquired from the 1878 Paris Exposition five years later. The objects marked the inception of Finland’s first industrial arts collection, which was opened to the public in Helsinki on April 24, 1874. What do these early objects tell us about industrial design 150 years ago? And why were these specific items chosen for the collection?

The most vocal advocates of the collection were Professor Carl Gustaf Estlander and Colonel Walfrid Spåre, both of whom had grand ambitions for the role it would perform. The collection was expected to foster the advancement of Finnish industry and raise the standard of Finnish craftsmanship and domestic comfort. Design specimens were needed not only to serve as industrial benchmarks, but also to exemplify styles from different periods and cultures.

Perfect Specimens introduces a selection of objects that were acquired for the collection from the Vienna and Paris World’s Fairs, reflecting on their significance both then and now. Similar collections were assembled by many other museums in the late 19th century. This diverse and cosmopolitan array of objects exerted a significant formative influence on the emergence of Finland’s budding design culture.

AUTHOR: Leena Elina Valkeapää
EDITOR: Leena Svinhufvud
LAYOUT AND DESIGN: Johanna Havimäki

The Architecture & Design Museum´s collections consists of the collections of the previous National Special Museums of architecture and design the Museum of Finnish Architecture and teh Design Museum Helsinki

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