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.

“Kusakabe Kimbei (1841 – 1934) was a Japanese photographer. He usually went by his given name, Kimbei, because his clientele, mostly non-Japanese-speaking foreign residents and visitors, found it easier to pronounce than his family name. Kusakabe Kimbei worked with Felice Beato and Baron Raimund von Stillfried as a photographic colourist and assistant before opening his own workshop in Yokohama in 1881 in the Benten-dōri quarter, and from 1889 operating in the Honmachi quarter. He also opened a branch in the Ginza quarter of Tokyo”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Writing Letter. (Photo by Kusakabe Kimbei)

Indian women dressed in traditional attire drive motorcycles as they take part in a procession celebrating “Gudhi Padwa” or the Maharashtrian New Year in Mumbai on March 28, 2017. Gudhi Padwa is the Hindu New Year for people in India's Maharashtra state and marks the end of a harvest and the beginning of a new one. (Photo by Punit Paranjpe/AFP Photo)

The Pink Floyd inflatable pig floats next to Broadcasting House to promote their new exhibition at the V&A museum, in London, Britain May 10, 2017. (Photo by Neil Hall/Reuters)

A woman carries water during during a visit by a European Union delegation, at an IDP camp in Azaza, east of Ad Damazin, capital of Blue Nile state, October 21, 2015. The camp houses people displaced by war between the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) rebels and the Sudanese government. (Photo by Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Reuters)

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)

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)