curiosity

Most probably by far the largest (private) collection of curiosity and antiques in the Overberg region in the Western Cape, South Africa, can be found in some barns in the ‘outback’ of Napier. Skilled craftsman Mike Pope has been collecting the items during his entire life.

When visiting him he apologizes himself for the mess. There are still rooms where parts of his collection are piled up, waiting for restoration. The barns and his house are stacked with surprises from floor to ceiling. It’s different world out there and wandering through his collection I find it no surprise that there is an interest from diverse museums.

The age of the thousands of items goes back to far beyond the Boer War but there are also newer things like an electric grass cutter which, he says, will be a curiosity in a hundred years time …

By picturing his collection I did not use artificial light nor did I use a tripod. Some indoor pictures are shot with an ISO of 640, A 2.8 and S 1/6 second. On special personal request and for security reasons no indication of the location of this PRIVATE collection is given.