If you have ever seen an ancient Egyptian mummy, apart from in a film, it is likely you saw one in a museum. There is usually some information attached to the exhibit, a note where the mummy was found, their age, perhaps even a name. However, have you ever wondered; how did it arrive there? If it was ‘acquired’ during the nineteenth century, likely it was either ‘legally stolen’ (through the loophole of colonialism) or illegally smuggled. Either way: you are looking at a stolen corpse on display for all to see.

This lecture aims to unravel the history of mummies and the ‘mummy’s curse’ by focusing on their treatment and perception in the nineteenth-century. It will focus on the consequences of the mummy-trade in nineteenth-century Britain focusing on how mummies were perceived and treated during this time. There are four specific areas that will be examined; mummy pits (mass tombs and Victorian descriptions of pits, visual culture); mummies on display (mummy unwrapping parties); Victorian mummy Gothic fictions (by Bram Stoker, H. P. Lovecraft, Arthur Conan Doyle and Louisa May Alcott); and mummies in media (early horror films featuring mummies and their connection to museums).

I focus on key case studies, exhibitions, and events to demonstrate the overall, (and some important individual) perceptions of the mummy, and how this unethical treatment shaped the idea of the mummy in modern society. What does it mean to be human? How can we honour mummies by focusing on the very thing that makes them terrifying? How did the perceptions of the mummy create a Gothic monster? How did mummy fiction in the nineteenth-century contribute to the figure of the mummy? What is the relationship between horror and mummies beyond the media? And how can examining the past create a more ethical and respectful future for mummies?

By the end of the lecture, attendees will have a wider understanding of this under researched area of history, and develop an appreciation for the history surrounding mummies. Additionally, attendees will gain an insight into how mummy fictions and films perceive mummies as the ‘villain’/’monster’ and how the mummy figure bridges the gap between history and horror through various mediums. Furthermore, this conversation extends to the wider debate surrounding human remains in museums, a current and significant discussion regarding decolonisation, and (un)ethical displays.

Please note - These events are £12 on the door, and you will be frowned upon if you are later than 19:10.