EGYPTOMANIA
IN
ENGLAND
England’s fascination with all things Egypt was
probably best expressed through viewings of mummy
unrollings. These macabre events were organized
both in public places and private homes, and
attendees—both men and women—would flock to
see what lay beneath a mummy’s wrappings. Typically
a physician or antiquarian would display the body
before unwrapping it and showing the objects inside.ABOVE: AKG/ALBUM. RIGHT: BRIDGEMAN/ACI«A Mummy from Thebes will be unrolled at half-past Two.»
So states the invitation (above) sent by Lord Londesborough
for June 10, 1850. The nobleman organized this event at his
London residence, officiated by Samuel Birch, Keeper of Oriental
Antiquities at the British Museum. Birch had no medical training
and gives few details concerning the physical condition of the
mummy. Those attending the event watched with delight as
a copy of the Book of the Dead, various amulets, and some
beautiful silver gloves appeared amid the wrappings.