Herbert Basedow (27 October 1881 – 4 June 1933) was an Australian anthropologist, geologist, politician, explorer and medical practitioner.

Basedow later completed postgraduate studies at several European universities and undertook some medical work in Europe.

During his working life, Basedow took part in many major geological, exploratory and medical relief expeditions to central and northern Australia.

[6] In 1905, he joined South Australian Government Geologist Henry Yorke Lyell Brown and mining inspector Lionel Gee on a geological expedition to the Northern Territory.

[9] Basedow was a keen photographer, and throughout his career he used photography to record his scientific work and his travels in remote parts of Australia.

In Europe, he completed postgraduate studies at several universities, including Heidelberg, Göttingen, Breslau and Zürich, and undertook some medical work.

[2][11] On his return from Europe in 1910, Basedow entered the geological department of South Australia as Assistant Government Geologist.

He arrived in Darwin on 17 July 1911 and left 45 days later unhappy with his working conditions and claiming the legislation under which he was operating was unworkable.

[2] Basedow returned to Adelaide and set up in medical practice, combining this with consulting geological investigations for individuals and organisations.

They had no children but in 1920 adopted two Aboriginal girls from Central Australia; Undelya (Minnie) Apma (Arrernte) and Tjikana (Tjikarna) Cooper (Luritja) who they took with them to Adelaide and trained as domestic servants.

[13][14] Basedow died suddenly on 4 June 1933 of peripheral venous thrombosis in Kent Town and was buried in Adelaide's North Road Cemetery.

On these expeditions, Basedow obtained the material on which he based his anthropological and scientific research and photographed the people he encountered and the places he visited.

[6] Others, like the 1916 expedition to investigate possible ore deposits in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, were commissioned by mining syndicates and private companies.

Basedow also participated in expeditions funded by wealthy pastoralist Donald Mackay to central Australia in 1926 and Arnhem Land in 1928.

In his early years, Basedow accompanied his father on trips into the outback where he played with Aboriginal children and acquired some native language skills.

[18] The German anthropologist Hermann Klaatsch influenced Basedow's early ideas about Australian Aboriginal people.

In 1919, he instigated a public meeting to highlight South Australia's neglect of Aboriginal people which led to a series of medical relief expeditions in 1919 and 1920.

[2] Basedow's second book, Knights of the Boomerang: Episodes From a Life Spent Among the Native Tribes of Australia, was published posthumously in 1935.

[26] Once again, Basedow pitched the book to a general readership, stating in his introduction that his aim was to "recount first-hand impressions and experiences, without attempting to surround them with technicalities and extraneous embellishments".

[28] Between 1903 and 1928, Basedow took photographs and collected specimens and artefacts on many major expeditions and some smaller trips, mainly to central and northern Australia.