Drew Cruikshank, Intern
Egyptomania was a period of intense interest in ancient Egypt during the nineteenth century. This surge began in 1798 with the launch of Napoleon’s campaigns in Egypt and Syria, which aimed to increase trade, develop new alliances, and further scientific innovation (unfortunately, a fitting example of imperialism). It was on this expedition that they discovered the Rosetta Stone. Not long after, Europe began to see a proliferation of Egyptian aesthetics in its culture and design. The ‘exotic’ nature of Egypt consumed Western thought, revealing itself through literature, art, and culture. This included mummy unwrapping parties, stories such as Arthur Conan Doyle’s “Lot No. 249,” and in décor, including a few pieces that you can find at Dalnavert!
The Victorians let their intrigue cloud their judgement when it came to mummy unwrapping. A temporary form of entertainment for the Victorians was a complete desecration of Egypt, its people, and their ancestors. Anyone who could afford to travel to Egypt could afford to buy a mummy, although it took a trained individual to unwrap it. Thomas Pettigrew, who was a surgeon, antiquary, and author, was a well-known ‘unroller.’ Conflating science with spectacle, Pettigrew would host private parties where he would unwrap and perform autopsies on the mummies. The process was not very elaborate:
Following a lecture of Egyptian history and religion the lecturer and his assistants would gradually remove the textiles and other materials that encased the mummy. Fragments of the wrappings, pungent with resins and spices, were often passed around the audience along with the amulets and other artefacts encountered within them.[i]
These gatherings lasted for quite a while, thankfully dying out in the latter years of the century. While one can hope this is because the Victorians recognized their inhumanity, it is more likely, as Egyptologist John J. Johnston notes, to be a result of boredom.[ii] The process itself lacked lustre and many were disappointed when they discovered that the mummy was not going to suddenly come to life and walk around the room.
It was only in fiction that this fantasy of reanimation could be actualized. Several authors incorporated the motif of the mummy into their works, including Edgar Allan Poe in “Some Words with a Mummy” (1845), Louisa May Alcott in “Lost in a Pyramid; or, The Mummy’s Curse” (1869), and, notably, Arthur Conan Doyle in “The Ring of Thoth” (1890) and “Lot No. 249” (1892). In “Lot No. 249,” Abercrombie Smith learns that his neighbour, Edward Bellingham has been keeping an Egyptian mummy in his dormitory. After learning this, Smith makes several discoveries, suggesting that there is an evil within either the mummy or Bellingham. Being one of the first stories to surface which depicts the mummy as an actual threat, “Lot No. 249” calls imperialism into question and comments on the Victorians’ obsession with, and simultaneously their fear of, the foreign.
If you visit Dalnavert, you will notice that there are several pieces which share this Egyptian aesthetic. In the parlour, for example, there are two small fire screens, which prevented a lady from becoming flushed while sitting in front of the fire. These two screens display Egyptian iconography. As well, the Singer sewing machine’s upper black body, found in the sewing room, is decorated with Egyptian motifs.
Fire Screen with Egyptian Decoration
Singer Sewing Machine with Egyptian Motifs (c. 1891)
The Europeans’ fascination with Egypt did make its way to North America around the same time; however, it was not nearly as immense. Aesthetics change and the Victorians’ enthusiasm did falter as time progressed. However, to this day, the spirit of ancient Egypt is still prevalent in the West. Opposed to the Victorians though, we try to celebrate ancient Egypt in a way that does not disrespect or appropriate its rich history and culture.
Bibliography
DHWTY. “Disrespect and Desecration at Victorian Mummy Unwrapping Parties.” Ancient Origins. 30 May 2018. https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/disrespect-desecration-victorian-mummy-unwrapping-0010129.
Moshenska, Gabriel. “Unrolling Egyptian mummies in nineteenth-century Britain.” BJHS 47, no. 3 (September 2014): 451-477. https://www-cambridge-org.uml.idm.oclc.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/56BF3B3408D2E13EB839FFD58CF738B4/S0007087413000423a.pdf/unrolling_egyptian_mummies_in_nineteenthcentury_britain.pdf
[i] Gabriel Moshenska, “Unrolling Egyptian mummies in nineteenth-century Britain,” BJHS 47, no. 3 (September 2014): 452. https://www-cambridge-org.uml.idm.oclc.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/56BF3B3408D2E13EB839FFD58CF738B4/S0007087413000423a.pdf/unrolling_egyptian_mummies_in_nineteenthcentury_britain.pdf
[ii] DHWTY, “Disrespect and Desecration at Victorian Mummy Unwrapping Parties,” Ancient Origins, 30 May 2018, https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/disrespect-desecration-victorian-mummy-unwrapping-0010129.