We have had raised at Memphis a colossal sphinx of Ramesses II about 11 feet long, 11 ton weight. The head has been much weathered, the body and inscribed base are perfect, of red granite… Would such a piece as this be acceptable for your Museum?
Sir W M Flinders Petrie to Director George Byron Gordon, 1913
The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology – these days the Penn Museum – was conceived in the late 19th century to bring the world and its past to Philadelphia at the zenith of the Gilded Age. Time has never stopped still here. The Museum has been through several iterations as a place to visit, but never, despite a global pandemic, looked so bright, colourful, and enriching. Whatever the world throws at it, this is the jewel in the crown of this Ivy League university.
Encyclopedic museums, as they are sometimes called, were born of an age of empire and colonisation. As such, inevitably they face significant challenges as diversity and ecology become touchstones of our times. Like its university parent, the Penn Museum with its new logo and facelift is adroitly evolving to work with its many visitors – Philadelphia’s schoolchildren, university students, visitors to this UNESCO World Heritage City, and, of course, academics.
