5 Questions to...Ann-Sophie Hellmich-Schwan

30 June 2022

Photo: Ann-Sophie Hellmich-Schwan

In our series ‘5 Questions to…’, members of CSMC chat about their background, current work, what motivates them, and about their favourite written artefacts. In this episode, we talk to Ann-Sophie Hellmich-Schwan and her research on the spatial dimensions of early modern European archives.

Ann-Sophie Hellmich-Schwan, please tell us a little about yourself.

Since the beginning of my studies in 2013, my academic interests lie in the field of early modern European history. Universität Hamburg provided me with an ideal environment to pursue my studies in this area. I obtained my bachelor’s degree in 2017 with a thesis on French missions to the Levant and Egypt in the 17th and 18th century. During my master studies, my focus turned to archiving practices of noble houses in the Holy Roman Empire (roughly what’s Germany today). I worked as a student assistant in a DFG-funded project on this topic and finished my degree in 2019 with a thesis on the fleeing of a noble archive from Westphalia to Hamburg in 1797. In 2017, I spent one semester at the University of Aarhus (Denmark) studying International and Global History. With my PhD project, which started in 2019, I am continuing my research in the field of early modern archival practices.

Could you briefly outline the topic of your dissertation project? How did you come up with it?

My dissertation project explores how and where nobles and princes kept their archives and how this was related to the archival practice of the time. Archives were a central tool for the European nobility to secure their social status and dominion. They contained deeds and contracts but also administrative papers and legal proceedings. The containers in which these documents were kept vary from simple boxes to complex, built-in furniture systems.

In the Holy Roman Empire, the years between 1500 and 1800 brought along many changes in administrative practices and the use of paper. Therefore the amount of archive-worthy documents increased and their format diversified. This of course had an impact on the furniture in use for the archive and the space that had to be made available. Extant furniture and building structures, plans, inventories, and other archival documents help me to identify types of containers and rooms, their usability, the organisation of the documents within them, and their possible symbolism.

Sometimes, the possibilities for research depend entirely on the goodwill of the owner of the archive. 

Can you tell us a little bit more about your work with nobles? What do you have to consider and who are you in contact with?

The search for extant structures and archival material is very diverse and interesting. Today, a large number of noble and most princely archives are kept in one of the German state archives. In these cases, the access to the archival documents is easy and unrestricted. Yet, the original storage situation is difficult to reconstruct and mostly destroyed. Many noble archives are still in the possession of the respective family. Here, the possibilities for research depend entirely on the goodwill of the owner of the archive and his or her interest in the scientific value of the documents.  The experiences I have made range from having lunch with the earl in between the research sessions to not being able to access highly interesting archives because the noble family is not willing to make them accessible for researchers.  

You've just returned from parental leave and, of course, there was the pandemic. What is it like for you to return to your dissertation and the CSMC? How do you find your way back to your research?

I am very happy to be back at work and at CSMC. I have been seeing colleagues and friends only via Zoom or not at all for almost two years now; it is just great to be able to meet in person again. In this sense, being on parental leave during the last year was perfect timing: for one thing, everything was shut down anyways. Moreover, I was able to stay in touch with my colleagues at CSMC and attend some meetings via Zoom.

Fortunately, I managed to pursue my own research during parental leave at least for a couple of hours a week, so I still made some progress. What was most challenging after returning full time was probably to reactivate all the initial contacts and invitations I had made and received during the first month of my research. In many cases, the visits had to be postponed or were cancelled all together. So while I am already getting started with the writing process, I am still trying to see some very interesting material to include into my analysis.

Do you have a favourite written artefact – or a favourite piece of furniture? If so, what makes it so special to you?

My favourite piece of furniture is this archival chest from 1598. It was the first extant archival furniture I encountered. Made of oak and poplar wood, its size is79 × 153 × 60 centimetres. The iron belts and handles on the outside remained quite common throughout the years between 1500 and 1800, yet the chest is quite unique when it comes to its interior layout. It is divided into three compartments, each closed by a lid and subdivided by eight small boxes. Until now, I haven’t found any other piece where the use of space in the container is this sophisticated and ideal.