AMSTERDAM.- The Rijksmuseum and the National Archives have acquired the extensive archive of the Dutch Swellengrebel family. This unique archive spans 10 generations, stretching back to the 17th century. Of particular note are Hendrik Swellengrebel the Younger’s (1734-1803) travelogues and watercolours from his three journeys around the former Dutch Cape Colony (now part of South Africa). The journals offer insights into relations between the colonialists and the original inhabitants as well as the enslaved inhabitants of the region. The archive also includes a drawing of Augustus van Bengalen, one of the few enslaved people in the Cape whose name and portrait have survived to the present day.

A selection of watercolours and archival documents will be displayed at the Rijksmuseum from 4 June to 30 November 2025. The oldest section of the family archive (1689-1804) can be consulted in the reading room of the National Archives from 4 June. Most of the collection is also accessible online, on the websites of the Rijksmuseum and the National Archives.

The Rijksmuseum has acquired the Swellengrebel archive and collection on behalf of the State of the Netherlands, with the support of the Johan Huizinga Fonds/Rijksmuseum Fonds and Fonds de Zuidroute/Rijksmuseum Fonds. The archive is managed by the National Archives; the objects are part of the Rijksmuseum collection.

The Swellengrebel collection

Historians became aware of the contents of the Swellengrebel family archive following the publication in the 1930s of several books and primary sources. Ever since, many researchers have approached the descendants to consult the archive, because it is such a rich source of information on the life of a family that was directly involved in the administration of the Dutch Cape Colony. Hendrik Swellengrebel the Elder (1700-1760), for example, was the colonial governor of the Cape from 1739 to 1751. The archive also contains extensive information on members of subsequent generations who were involved in legal, charitable and medical activities in the Netherlands.

The collection is exceptional for its completeness: it even contains items such as the 1751 invoice for a 112-piece Chinese tableware service decorated with the Swellengrebel coat of arms. This provides insight into the size of the original set, as well as what the broker charged for their services. Another example is an order for travel supplies for Hendrik Swellengrebel the Younger’s second journey in the Cape – the list includes ox carts for transportation as well as buckshot and nets for hunting.

Showing now at the Rijksmuseum

At the Rijksmuseum, a presentation has been dedicated to the collection on the occasion of its acquisition, with a particular focus on the travel journals of Hendrik Swellengrebel the Younger and the watercolours he commissioned from Johannes Schumacher (?-1792). These paintings depict the landscapes, animals and people that Swellengrebel wrote about in his journals. One particularly notable drawing, made for Swellengrebel by an Oeswana San, depicts animals such as ostriches, rhinoceroses and a buffalo. The display also features a diary and a drawing that belonged to sisters Johanna (1730-1753) and Helena Swellengrebel (1733-1798). They collaborated on the journal on their voyage from the Dutch Cape Colony to the Netherlands in 1751. It is one of very few records written by women passengers aboard a VOC ship.

Showing now at the National Archives

The oldest part of the collection goes on show in the reading room of the National Archives from 4 June. The most outstanding items from the collection have been digitised and are available for viewing on the National Archives website. They include travel journals by Hendrik Swellengrebel the Younger from one sea voyage and three overland journeys, as well as travelogues by his sisters Johanna and Helena Swellengrebel.