The World Cultures collection of Perth Museum and Art Gallery has its origins with the Perth Literary and Antiquarian Society and was substantially amassed in the nineteenth century.

There are around 450 artefacts from the Pacific collected by surgeons, sea captains, travellers and entrepreneurs of Perth. These individuals collected wherever they travelled and sent items back to their home town for study and display.

One of the key collectors was surgeon David Ramsay, who was active in the Pacific throughout the 1820s and 30s. He acquired nearly 40 objects including many items from New Zealand, as well as artefacts from Fiji and the Society Islands. Of particular note from the Ramsay collection are a unique Māori feather cloak.