The Hermann Rorschach Archives and Museum

Historical Outline

The foundation of the Rorschach Archives, later renamed “The Hermann Rorschach Archives and Museum”, is thanks to the Bernese psychiatrist Walter Morgenthaler. Walter Morgenthaler and Hermann Rorschach met at several conventions of the Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Psychiatrie and their relationship became closer during the years 1914/1915, when Hermann Rorschach worked as resident in the Waldau Psychiatric University Hospital near Berne, where Walter Morgenthaler was head-physician. Morgenthaler helped Rorschach have his "Psychodiagnostik" published by Ernst Bircher in Berne, this being issued in 1921 as the second volume of the series "Arbeiten zur angewandten Psychiatrie" edited by Morgenthaler.

After Rorschach's untimely death in 1922, Morgenthaler committed himself to spreading and institutionalising the Rorschach method. Following his suggestion the Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Psychologie established the Rorschach Commission, which aimed to deal with all questions on teaching the Rorschach method and on Rorschach research. This task was taken over by the International Rorschach Society after its foundation in 1949. During the early 1950s the Rorschach Commission began planning the establishment of the Rorschach Archives, which has been administered by the University Library of Bern since 1957.

Since its creation, the Archives has gradually come into possession of significant publications on the Rorschach Test as well as important correspondence. Concurrently, some photographs have been donated by the Rorschach family. However, the solicitation efforts declined markedly during the late 1960s and the collection of materials was not pursued to much effect althought the former presidents of the International Rorschach Society, Marguerite Loosli-Usteri and Kenower W. Bash, did leave their papers dealing with the Rorschach Test to the Archives.

In the 1990s, under the presidency of John E. Exner, the relationship between the University Library and the International Rorschach Society was strengthened considerably. Jointly the two institutions managed to speed up the collection of printed publications and to reorganize it and record it electronically. Hermann Rorschach's two children gave a considerable part of their father's personal papers to the Archives. Another substantial contribution to the collection was the donation of records and other items formally belonging to Rorschach's pupil and colleague Georg A. Roemer. Inquiries in Switzerland and abroad led to the discovery of further important documents.

Since 1998 the Archives has been housed in specially rented accommodation at Dalmazirain 11, Berne. In the year 2000 the International Society of the Rorschach, and the University Library of Bern together with Verlag Hans Huber, Hogrefe AG celebrated the official opening of “The Hermann Rorschach Archives and Museum”.