Amber Fennell first draft (Creative format will be created)

Portrait of Thomas Joseph Pettigrew (1791–1865)

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In the year 1822, the Rosetta Stone was translated by Jean-François Champollion, who was an instructor at the Grenoble Academy (Moshenka 8).  The Rosetta Stone is a piece of stone which has three translations inscribed on it.  These languages allowed for the translation of Egyptian Hieroglyphics and an entrance into Egyptomania. After the translations, exploration of Egypt became popular again which led to the bringing back of artifacts including mummies being taken from their tombs.   In 1828 the mummy of a man named Nesumun was unwrapped by scientists in Leeds, England.  This was the first methodical examination of an Ancient Egyptian mummy.  Before this point, mummies were ground up and used as medication and paint.  Imagine eating bits of ground mummy because you believed that it had properties that would be positive for your health.  But, after the unwrapping of this mummy, the use of their bodies had changed.  The unwrapping of mummies became a form of entertainment as well as claimed to be used for scientific growth.  In attendance at one of the first public unwrapping scenes was a scientist named Thomas Pettigrew.  Years later, he would take part in unwrapping that led to the sensation.  Pettigrew also is known for producing the first scholarly publication on the subject which was entitled, History of Egyptian Mummies in 1834.  This work provided an analysis of the mummification process which proved to begin a sensation in the 30’s and 40’s.   Pettigrew started as a scientist analyzing the process, but by the end of the popularity of unwrapping a mummy, he proved to be one of the forefront runners in the mummy unwrapping business.   The claim has been made that Pettigrew began his mummy unwrapping to bring validity to the claims of Champollion.  To support him, he used the pieces of writing found with the mummies in tombs to use his translations and prove their correctness (Moshenka 9).  The validity of his claims was key to this period as they evidently led to the beginnings of Egyptomania and the Unwrapping that subsequently happened throughout England and other parts of the world.  To look at the sensation of mummy unwrapping, it is key to look at the unwrappings that Pettigrew completed which luckily have been transcribed in many instances.

“The unwrapping of a mummy”

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Imagine.  

You are attending the second unwrapping of a mummy by Thomas Pettigrew.  You are on your way to buy your ticket, but upon arrival find they are sold out.  Oh no!  Luckily, you find a way to sneak in to see the process along with other attendees that included “a Prince, several Peers, Bishops, Statesmen, Diplomats, Members of Parliament, as well as all the leading physicians and surgeons of the day, and many artists, authors, military and naval officers, and others” (Clift 173).  This event was evidently very important as seen with the vast array of those in attendance.

You enter the Royal College of Surgeons and see the fantastic display which Pettigrew has set up for his witnesses.  His display included a mummy case on the table, hieroglyphic displays, and the previous mummy unwrapped suspended with none of its wrappings.  The gold leaf on the previous patient catches the light as it passes through the windows.  What a sight!  If the last unwrapping had proven such a successful outcome, imagine what could come from this one!

After the first layers were removed, different Egyptian artifacts begin revealing themselves.  Beautiful scarabs and amulets are constantly being found.  But, the most interesting find is within the eye sockets.  Found here are two artificial eyes formed of enamel with black patches for irises.  But, the mummy itself was not nearly in as good of shape as the one suspended above Pettigrew.  Although this was a let down, the interest in the mummy did not diminish and this unwrapping was seen as a huge success.  To end the show, Pettigrew then stated an Egyptian prayer to “assert goodness and ensure the passage of the soul” (Mochenska 16).  Many magazines and newspapers recorded this event and shared it with the masses.  Egyptomania was in full force.

The amount of detail that has been recorded from this mummy unwrapping shows how important these events were and how much of an impact they made on those who witnessed them.  A doctor who attended this event is quoted as saying, “the taste of the cloth, and the results with which it yields on being treated with the substance called gelatine, have put beyond all doubt the fact that a great deal of that powerfully preserving principle, tannin (which forms leather) is incorporated with the cloth” (Mochenska 16).  Apparently, there is no other way to fully examine a mummy other then tasting it for future reference.

The attendees of this period seem to have done everything in their power to experience this mummy to its fullest extent although others expressed their feelings in other ways, “The mummy—there is a strange feeling of admiration and astonishment—an undefinable compound of pleasure and pain—that pervades [the] breast, on beholding this relic of by-gone ages. It seems as if a new perception were imparted to the mind—new emotions arise—and thoughts, which never filled the sensorium before, come thronging upon us. It is as if a strange key were given us by some shadowy being, and we were permitted to open one of the secret apartments of nature, that had been kept locked for centuries, and to view dark and awful, and shuddering contents.”

— Lynn Mirror (quoted by S. J. Wolfe, Mummies in Nineteenth Century America, p. 60)

During his time, Pettigrew is believed to have completed a large number of these “autopsies” and even mastered the process of Egyptian embalming.  He put this practice into action in 1852 when he mummified the Egyptophile Duke of Hamilton, an ardent admirer of Pettigrew’s work (Mochenska 20).

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Some Words with a Mummy illustration

The sensation of mummy unwrapping and Egyptomania led to many texts being written to explore the content.  Author Edgar Allen Poe wrote a short story entitled “Some Words with a Mummy”.  Although this title was satire that showcased Poe’s annoyance with Egyptomania, it focuses on this concept.  The story follows Dr. Ponnonner as he invites the narrator to help with the unwrapping of a mummy he has in his possession.  As the story progresses, the men who are taking part in the unwrapping decide to use electricity on the mummy who then awakens.  When the mummy wakes up, he is very angry with the men for abusing his body by unwrapping him.  The men then speak with the mummy and find out the specifics of his life.  He explains that during his time, the ancient Egyptians lived for around one thousand years.  But, he explains that the embalming process that is used is meant to allow them to sleep for hundreds of years but they are able to wake up when they choose.  He continues to complain that the men are ignorant of the history of other cultures and need to do their research before disturbing the bodies of others.  This piece of satire is obviously poking fun at Egyptomania during one of its most popular times.  He seems to make the men seem to be playing with a new toy instead of the body of a long-deceased person.  It is obvious that Poe was annoyed with how large Egyptomania had become.  To me, it is interesting to read a non-sensational piece about a sensational event as it shows a different side of the story.  Although many people were enthralled with Egypt and the unwrapping of mummies, it is evident that not everyone was as happy with the event.  This creates more of a sensation for me as there was opposition which makes it even more of a sensational event because not everyone agreed on the arguments that it created.