Library Companys Artifact Collection One of the more unusual artifacts in the collection is the severed mummified hand of an Egyptian princess presented to the Library by noted artist Benjamin West (1738-1820). West was born in Pennsylvania but spent most of his life painting in London. Library Company secretary Francis Hopkinson brought West’s gift to Philadelphia from London in 1767. The mummy hand joined a host of other artifacts that included pickled animals and fauna, animal skins, bones, and fossils. Most of these artifacts were disposed of over time in several purges, including one hot summer in 1760 when the Librarian was given permission to discard the specimens that had an offensive odor.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 00:00:04 +0000
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