Two Canadian Collectors of Ancient Egyptian Art in the Nineteenth Century and Their Relationship to Coffins in the Michael C. Carlos Museum Pubblico

Abstract

This study focuses on two collectors of ancient Egyptian art from the nineteenth century, Sidney Barnett and Dr. James Douglas. They collected artifacts for a museum in Canada, called the Niagara Falls Museum, opened by Thomas Barnett in 1827. Throughout the late 1850s and early 1860s, Thomas Barnett sent his son, Sidney Barnett, and his business partner, Dr. James Douglas, on expeditions to Egypt to purchase material for display, especially mummies. Some of these artifacts find their home on Emory’s campus in the Michael C. Carlos Museum. These are contained in an acquisition the Carlos Museum purchased in 1999 from William Jamieson, who purchased the objects upon the closure of the Niagara Falls Museum.

 

By reviewing a variety of Barnett’s documents as well as the writings and photographs of Douglas and his family, I will consider what motivated the two figures to turn to ancient Egypt in the first place, what inspired their interest in specific objects, and, especially for Barnett, how the objects were figured into the scheme of the Niagara Falls Museum. While Barnett’s specific motivations for his interest in ancient Egypt are not expressly laid out in archival material, what is clear is that the concept of the museum as a container for didactic taxonomy facilitated inclusion of a wide array of material, including ancient Egyptian material. On the other hand, Dr. James Douglas’ motivations appear distinctly focused on ancient Egyptian bodies over material culture. It is through the medicalized engagement with these bodies that Douglas forms knowledge about the ancient Egyptians, which is presented as unobjective and scientific. While different, these two elements resulted in the inclusion of material within the Niagara Falls Museum. Thus, the presence of ancient Egyptian material within the Carlos Museum is not the result of one reason or motivation, but rather the combined influence of several factors.

Table of Contents

Introduction                                                                                                                                 1

Part I: Sidney Barnett, His Trip to Egypt, and the Niagara Falls Museum                                12                    

Part II: James Douglas, His Travels in Egypt, and His Medical Examinations of Mummies    39

Conclusion                                                                                                                                  68 

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Art History
Degree	B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	History, Canadian History, General Art History
Parola chiave	Egypt Mummy Niagara Falls Historiography Carlos Museum
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Rune Nyord, Emory University
Committee Members	Susan Elizabeth Gagliardi, Emory University Annie Shanley, Emory University

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