CANCELLED - King Tut and the Camera: Photography and Archaeology in Colonial Egypt

This event has been cancelled

Christina Riggs, Reader in Art History and World Art Studies, University of East Anglia, England

When Howard Carter found the sealed entrance to Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, he secured the services of archaeological photographer Harry Burton to document the site. Over the course of ten years, Burton produced more than 3,000 glass negatives of the tomb and its contents. These images, however, are more than simple records of an excavation. Burton’s photographic styles and subjects, and the sale and use of his photographs in the press, reflect conflicting interests at a time when Egypt had finally earned some independence from British colonial rule. Christina Riggs will discuss why photography mattered so much to Carter and how the camera helped create “King Tut” at a pivotal time for both Egypt and archaeology.

Presented with support from the Marcella Tilles Memorial Fund

This event is located at Northwest Building, Lecture Hall B103, 52 Oxford Street.
Free parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.
Free and open to the public.