Carl Peter Thunberg and his intermediaries at the Cape of Good Hope

Abstract The famous Swedish naturalist Carl Peter Thunberg (1743–1828) assembled a vast collection of plants, animals, shells and minerals during his eight-year journey to South Africa, Batavia (Indonesia) and Japan. At the Cape of Good Hope he collected unique material about South African nature and the culture of its indigenous peoples. After his departure from South Africa for Batavia and Japan, Thunberg maintained contact with several Swedish acquaintances in the Cape Colony who acted as his intermediaries there. They arranged for his collection to be shipped from South Africa to Sweden, forwarded to him in Batavia letters received after he left the Cape, and sent curiosities and naturalia to Uppsala for his collection over the space of many years. In return, Thunberg gladly provided help with their personal affairs in Sweden. Based on eighty-four preserved letters to Thunberg, this article analyses his relationship with this network of Swedes in the Cape Colony and its significance for his work and his collection.