‘Ashantee Loot is Unique’: British Military Culture and the Taking of Objects in the Third Anglo-Asante War, 1873-1874

Abstract

There exists a popular perception that all objects collected as a result of British military action in imperial settings can be termed ‘loot’ or ‘plunder’. This article argues otherwise and demonstrates that for British officers serving in the Third Anglo-Asante War (1873-1874) there existed a shared understanding of the legitimate and illegitimate ways objects could be acquired, with specific terms used to describe both practices. Furthermore, it highlights how objects acquired during the war were considered, displayed and interpreted in British institutions, centring the importance of setting in determining the object’s significance and meaning to different groups of people.