Archive Petrus Camper

Number of the collection:

UBG 101

Call Number:

uklu 101 Camper

Description of the archive made by: 

Jettie Noordam-Noorman, 2025

Brief overview

Correspondence between: 

• Petrus Camper (1722-1789) to his third son Adriaan Gilles Camper
• Petrus Everardus (1757-1803) to his brother Adriaan Gilles Camper
• Jacobus Camper (1758-1813) to his brother Adriaan Gilles Camper
• Adriaan Gilles Camper (1759-1820) to his father Petrus Camper

Dated: 

1722-1820

Size: 

1 archival box

Language of the materials:

Dutch, French, English

Summary:

Archive: 

Scientific archive of Petrus Camper (1722-1789), physician and naturalist.

Institute: 

University of Groningen

Retainer: 

University Library, Special Collections

Provenance and acquisition: 

Biography:

Petrus Camper was born in Leiden in 1722, the son of a learned and wealthy preacher. He was a versatile young man, interested in architecture, drawing, furniture making and mathematics. He studied at Leiden University where he received a broad scientific education. 

After a scientific journey through England and France, Camper was offered a professorship at the University of Franeker in 1749. From 1756, he taught in Amsterdam for six years before moving to Groningen in 1763, where he became professor of theoretical medicine, anatomy, surgery and botany.

Camper’s main contribution was in the field of comparative anatomy. While many of his contemporaries classified animals based on observable external characteristics, Camper emphasized the importance of internal structures in understanding animal species. He researched the similarities in skeletons of vertebrates, both human and animal, laying the foundations for the field of zoology. Additionally, he investigated human racial differences through anatomical dissections and measurements of the skull.

Acquisition:

-

Future additions:

No future additions are expected.

Contents and collation: 

The collection contains letters from Petrus Camper to his son Adriaan Gilles and vice versa. There are also letters from his sons Jacob and Petrus Everhardus to each other. The archive contains a number of books on Petrus Camper and bibliographical notes of Petrus Camper's life.

Instructions for users of the archive:

Accessibility

First of all, the archive is accessible for research purposes; furthermore for everyone interested in the archives.

Limitations to use

Material from this collection is for library use only. Consultation is subject to the Regulations for the Use of Library Facilities. Copying is subject to the rules of Copyright .

Accessing the archive

An inventory of the archive is available.

Use/ reproduction 

For conditions of use and reproduction, visit our website .

The copyright rests with the University of Groningen Library as owner of the collection.

Citations

When referencing (materials from) this archive, the following information must be provided in full at least once. After this, an abbreviated citation suffices.

Archive: University Library Petrus Camper
Individual items: Groningen UB [archive number]

Requests

The materials in this archive can be requested through SmartCat (call number uklu 101 Camper) or by sending an email to the Special Collections department.

Literature
Hans Bots & Rob Visser, La correspondence, 1785-1787, de Petrus Camper (1722-1789) et son fils Adriaan-Gilles Camper (1759-1820) (UOKW 095S 022)