There are many types of collections. Some are formed by purposefully collecting certain objects, such as stamps or coins. However, some collections are only a byproduct of an obsession, a quirk of mind. For example, Paul Brockmann got into the habit of buying his girlfriend and later his wife a dress every time they went ballroom dancing. It might seem excessive to some, but it was his way of showing his affection. Overtime, this collection grew to be enormous, counting 55,000 dresses in total. Basic math tells us that either they went ballroom dancing three times per day for every day of their lives, or he bought them in huge bundles every time.

The unromantic gypsies. Children boxing in a gypsy camp in Kent, England on July 1, 1951. Like all boys these gypsy lads like to try their hand at boxing. Encouraged by their friends they fight it out on Corke's Meadow. Few Romanies now live a life of wandering romance. Most are like the three hundred squatters of Corke's Meadow, Kent, which is part of a “gypsy problem” that involves about 100,000 today. Of those about 25,000 can be rightly called gypsies, the rest are Mumpers and Posh-rats and Hobos. Corke's Meadow has both kinds. “Picture Post” cameraman Bert Hardy photographs the Corke's Meadow gypsies in their encampment. (Photo by Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis via Getty Images)

A woman waits at a polio immunisation health centre, in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria, August 29, 2016. Nigeria's military has liberated large swathes of land from Boko Haram but a ride with an army convoy, all guns firing for fear of ambush, shows how far the northeast is from normality after a brutal Islamist insurgency that has displaced millions. (Photo by Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters)

A young Shiite Muslim child participates in a Muharram procession in Ahmadabad, India, Sunday, October 9, 2016. (Photo by Ajit Solanki/AP Photo)

A man dressed as one of the Three Kings greets people during the Epiphany parade in Gijon, Spain January 5, 2017. (Photo by Eloy Alonso/Reuters)

Climate change activist Greta Thunberg reacts during a news conference during COP25 climate summit in Madrid, Spain, December 9, 2019. (Photo by Juan Medina/Reuters)

Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers ride their camels as they take part in a rehearsal for a road show ahead of the visit of U.S. President Donald Trump, in Ahmedabad, India, February 21, 2020. (Photo by Amit Dave/Reuters)

The model Dovima in a suit and cloche hat at Les Deux Magots cafe in Paris, France in 1955. (Photo by Richard Avedon/The Richard Avedon Foundation/The Guardian)