the history of museums
TRANSCRIPT
THEHISTORY
OFMUSEUMS
850 mill ion people
visit museums
annually
By: Mikus Kins
Mesopotamia of 530 B.C.
contained the first
recorded museum, that
of Ennigaldi-Nanna.
M I K U S K I N S
A L E X A N D R I A , E G Y P T
A building set apart for study and the arts at first blended with
the notion of a l ibrary, and the most notable library of the
ancient world was in Alexandria, Egypt.
T H E F I R S T
M U S E U M S
From then on, museums created
by the wealthy preserved
historical artifacts for family
members, at first, and then the
public.
T H E F I R S T P U B L I C
M U S E U M
Charles Willson Peale's
Cabinet of Curiosities in
Philadelphia in 1786
Since he was both a painter and
a collector, he supplied its
walls with his own portraits of
George Washington and also
displayed the unearthed bones
of a wooly mammoth.
As the 19th century progressed,
industry funded wealthy
entrepreneurs with enough
capital to establish idiosyncratic
storehouses of their passions.
M I K U S K I N S
O N G O I N G D E C I S I O N M A K I N G
From the individual's caprice to the measured judgment of a
museum board, decisions on what to display and what to shelve
remain ongoing.
P . T . B A R N U M
For instance, P.T. Barnum's
museum bordered on the freak
show and yet retained high
popularity and consequent
financial success.
M O D E R N
M U S E U M S
Modern museums strive to
deliver a hands-on experience
that engages the public, satisfies
curiosity, and yet preserves the
artifacts for future generations.
T H E F U T U R E O F
M U S E U M S
The history of museums will not
end with online museums, IMAX
presentations, and wine tastings
among the elite at private
midnight showings.
Museums remain critical
in the education of youth
and the edification of
adults.
M I K U S K I N S
