The genesis of the Field Museum 130 years ago may seem today like a mishmash of items, but it soon became a leading institution dedicated to scientific exploration and educational experiences for v…
The world came to Chicago in 1893, to showcase cultures and homelands at the Columbian Exposition. When the World’s Fair closed, however, many chose to leave behind their artifacts and handcrafted items.
The fair’s organizers agreed and put Putnam on their payroll. Just a few days after commissioners for the World’s Columbian Exposition settled onas the site for the event, Putnam recommended the fair dedicate $300,000 for archaeological expeditions — from Greenland to Patagonia — to collect artifacts which would then be housed in a large, permanent ethnological museum on the grounds.
It was an unprecedented undertaking for its time, not exacting or professional by today’s standards, but more scientifically rigorous than other expeditions of that period.Gunild Blodoxe, a Laplander wearing traditional clothing, at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. This image was published in the book “Oriental and Occidental Northern and Southern Portrait Types of the Midway Plaisance,” by N.D. Thompson Publishing Co., 1894.
Marshall Field, founder of his namesake department store, heeded the call by giving the largest donation — $1 million . The Tribune reported Field’s generosity was made “with as little ceremony as he would pay an admission fee to Jackson Park.” It was lumberman Edward E. Ayer who persuaded Field to make the generous contribution — and proposed the museum
Six thousand people gathered to view the museum’s collections after a simple ceremony featured “a prayer, two speeches, a single word spoken to a man holding a lanyard, a colored streamer rose to masthead, throwing a fluttering shadow downward, and the Field Columbian Museum was given to the people,” the Tribune reported.
The Field Museum was one of six institutions in the United States chosen to host 55 objects that once belonged to the youngUnlike his possessions, King Tut didn’t make the trip to Chicago — his mummy remained in the Valley of the Kings outside Luxor, Egypt. Chicago was the second stop of “The Treasures of Tutankhamun” tour, which remained incredibly popular during its four months at the Field Museum.
May 2022: ‘Native Truths’ exhibit shifts the narrative where it belongs — straight to Indigenous people
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Alaska aviation museum gets vintage plane back up in the airEven though it was a cloudy morning at Lake Hood, it was still filled with spectators ready to watch the Grumman Goose, an amphibious airplane, make its way back into the air.
Read more »
Alaska aviation museum gets vintage plane back up in the airThe Alaska Aviation Heritage Museums' Grumman Goose plane made its way into the air after being worked on for the last six months.
Read more »
Philadelphia Phillies Accomplish Som Never Done in More Than 130 Years of HistoryEntering play on Friday night, the Philadelphia Phillies have accomplished something that's never been done by any Phillies team since 1892.
Read more »
Philadelphia Phillies Accomplish Som Never Done in More Than 130 Years of HistoryEntering play on Friday night, the Philadelphia Phillies have accomplished something that's never been done by any Phillies team since 1892.
Read more »
Holocaust museum will host free field trips for eighth graders in New York City public schoolsA Holocaust museum in New York City will offer free educational field trips to eighth grade students in public schools in a program announced Thursday aimed at…
Read more »
Holocaust museum will host free field trips for eighth graders in New York City public schoolsThe Associated Press
Read more »