About the Collections
The collections of the Under and Tuglas Literature Centre include the property of Friedebert Tuglas, as well as the inherited property, library, and art collection of Artur Adson and Marie Under. In addition, the collection includes the art collection of art and literary critic Paul Reets and the art collection of the Estonian Cultural Fund of the USA.
Based on the characteristics of the items in the collections, the Literature Centreʼs cultural history collections have been divided into eight subcategories: photographs and negatives, art, objects, sound collection, manuscripts, library, postcards, and clippings. Small-format printed matter and ex libris form a separate subgroup.
An overview of the Literature Centreʼs collections can be found on our homepage. For more specific information, please use the detailed search engine of the Museums Public Portal (MuIS). The volumes of the collections marked below are only indicative, because the addition of images is ongoing.
For more information, please fill out the order form.
Photographs
The Literature Centreʼs photograph collection derives from several cultural-historical collections. The culturally important photo collection of Friedebert and Elo Tuglas included 4577 photographs, and this valuable and systematic collection spans at least a century, in other works the century from 1871–1971, though all of the included photographs are not marked with specific dates.
The collection includes several unusual photographs from Marie Under ja Artur Adsonʼs heritage from several periods of their lives. There are also 343 photographs from the private collection of Paul Reets, reflecting both his personal as well as art-historical material. In addition, there are photographs from the Writersʼ Museum period and the collection of the Under and Tuglas Literature Centre. The photograph collection is available in digital form.
Art
The art holdings consist of many collections, the core of which is the art collected by Friedebert Tuglas during his lifetime (1014 works). In addition to the Tuglas collection, the Literature Centreʼs art collection includes that of Marie Under and Artur Adson, the Paul Reets collection, and the collection of exile art of the Estonian Cultural Foundation of the USA. The Tuglas collection contains numerous book illustrations and ex librises, but it also includes the chefs dʼoeuvre of Estonian art history, such as the works of Nikolai Triik, Oskar Kallis, Ants Laikmaa, Konrad Mägi, Ado Vabbe. The main part of the Paul Reets collection consists of works by exile artists (e.g Arno Vihalemm, Eduard Rüga, Endel Kõks, Epp Ojamaa, Ilse Leetaru, Johann Naha), as well as representative works by the French master engraver Claude Mellan (1598–1688), graphic works by Henri Matisse (1598–1688) and a self-portrait by German artist Käthe Kollwitz (1867–1945). In addition, the Paul Reets collection contains examples of Japanese and Central American applied art and ceramics.
Objects
The object collection is made up of the objects that belonged to the Tuglasʼ as well as Under and Adson. This includes, for example, Friedebert Tuglasʼ desk and fountain pen, but also Marie Underʼs bookshelf and summer hat. The Museum has two rooms with orginal furnishings.
Phonotheque
The phonotheque is a digital sound collection with material from 1956 until the present. Recording was begun by Elo Tuglas. At the phonotheque one can listen to recordings of interviews with Friedebert Tuglas, poetry and literature evenings organised in the museum after his death, and much else. It contains a total of 610 hours of recorded material. The collection is also available in digital format.
Manuscripts
The manuscript collection contains several manuscripts by Friedebert and Elo Tuglas, and Paul Reetsʼ notebooks from the years 1947–2010. Most of Tuglasʼ manuscripts are in the Estonian Literary Museumʼs collection. Almost the whole manuscript collection of the Literature Centreʼs Museum is available in digital form.
Library
The core collection of the library consists of books that belonged to Friedebert and Elo Tuglas. Together with periodicals, 15 753 entries are listed, including many bibliophilic publications and volumes bearing dedications, many of which are the only copies left in Estonia. A later addition is Marie Underʼs and Artur Adsonʼs library from their Swedish period, containing a significant amount of books in German and Swedish; another more recent addition is a selection of books by Paul Reets, mostly in the field of art. The oldest book in the library, published in 1630, belongs to Paul Reetsʼ collection.
Postcards
The postcard collection consists of 3303 postcards collected by Friedebert Tuglas and 601 postcards collected by Paul Reets. Tuglas collected postcards from his travels, while Paul Reets was interested in postcards picturing art and architecture. The collection is also available in digital format.
Clippings
Beginning in 1905, Friedebert Tuglas collected clippings from newspaper articles that mentioned him or literary activities that had a bearing on him. This unusual collection includes cartoons and advertisements. Most of the collection has been digitised.