Early Twentieth Century AD

Edition - March, 2014

Photographing the Past - The Gaddis Legacy

Photographing the Past – The Gaddis Legacy

By Kate Gingell.  Published on In Brief, Egyptological, 20th March 2014   During my many visits to Luxor I have always visited the Gaddis Bookshop to browse through all the old photographs and cameras. Until my last visit in November 2013 I did not know the history of the shop nor the story behind the […] [more…]

The Egyptian items at the Lady Lever Art Gallery, Merseyside

The Egyptian items at the Lady Lever Art Gallery, Merseyside

To call William Hesketh Lever an entrepreneur or a visionary would be to pin him down, to imply a limit to the scope and depth both of his personality and his achievements. Lever was both these things, but he was so much else besides. He was a philanthropist, an innovator, a skilful salesman, a marketing genius, politician, eccentric, fanatic, occasionally a tyrant, even on occasion an inventor, a supporter of the rights of women, factory workers and the elderly, an enthusiastic ballroom dancer and always a family man. He made some grim mistakes, particularly with respect to his Pacific and African ventures, but his astonishing contributions to social progress in England are spectacularly praiseworthy, and he was knighted for them. Amongst his various extra-curricular obsessions, which included architecture, ferns and gymnastics, the 1st Viscount Leverhulme was a dedicated collector. [more…]

Arthur weigall

Arthur Weigall: A Man Out of Time – Part 2

As we saw in Part 1, in spite of his lack of a formal education Arthur Weigall pursued the role of archaeological excavator, achieving his dream of working in Egypt. Although his initial achievements were minimal, he was promoted to the position of an Inspector in Egypt, a role he took on with energy and dedication. He was fiercely protective of monuments from Luxor to Nubia, often falling into dispute with the authorities and wealthy patrons over the importance of preservation through proper archaeological technique.  [more…]

Figure 1. Arthur Weigall

Arthur Weigall: A Man Out Of Time – Part 1

In this article, I will explore the contributions that Arthur Weigall (figure 1) made to the field of Egyptology. I knew of Weigall’s involvement as a reporter during the excavation of Tutankhamen’s tomb by Howard Carter, and his open criticism of Carter and Carnarvon’s exclusive reporting agreement with the Times, but later discovered that he had already had an impressive career in Egypt. That in fact by the time he came to cover Carter’s discovery his career in Egyptology was already over and he had not returned to Egypt in over nine years.  [more…]