Frederick Arthur Bridgman
American, 1847 ‑ 1928
The Funeral of a Mummy, 1876 ‑ 1877
Oil on canvas
45 × 91 3/8 × 1 in. (114.3 × 232.1 × 2.5 cm.)
Gift of Mr. Wendell Cherry  1990.8

Documenting the Past
You are standing on the banks of the Nile River, four thousand years ago, when you notice the boats approaching. The funeral procession rows past you, making their way to the Valley of the Kings. In The Funeral of a Mummy, Bridgman documents an event from the remote past as if it were a firsthand observation. To do this, he spent time researching ancient burial customs in order to  present an archaeologically accurate depiction.