During the Victorian era, after Napoleon conquered Egypt, there was a significant influx of Europeans into Egypt. The mystery in Egyptian history only increased the interest of the Europeans.
Mummies weren’t considered a big deal during this time and were disregarded. They were sold on the streets by vendors. The European elites purchased them from street vendors and often made them the main events of gatherings.
It wasn’t uncommon in the 18th century to host parties and social gatherings centred around mummies. These gatherings hosted by the elites were known as “Mummy Unwrapping Parties”.
During the parties, the central theme was the unwrapping of the Mummy. The Mummies were unwrapped in front of an audience that cheered and applauded at sight.
It was usual for the well-preserved remains of ancient Egyptians to be ground into a powder and consumed as a medicinal treatment. It was so popular that demand outweighed supply greatly.
As a result, beggars’ flesh was passed off as belonging to the ancient Mummified Egyptians. Soon enough, the mummies were used for more practical purposes.
Large amounts of human and animal mummies were grounded and shipped to Britain and Germany to be used as fertilizer. They were also used in paper production, and Mark Twain reported that mummies were also burnt in Egypt as locomotive fuel.
In the late nineteenth century, mummies became more prized possessions. The European elites and American private collectors bought them in significant quantities as tourist souvenirs.Â
The people who couldn’t afford whole mummies separated and shared different body parts in the black market and smuggled them.
The demand was so high that despite ransacking tombs, there weren’t enough bodies. This birthed the start of fake mummies. The mummies were made from the bodies of criminals, the aged, the poor, and those who had died from hideous diseases by burying them in the sand or stuffing them with bitumen and exposing them to the sun.
Mummy brown was first made in the 16th and 17th centuries with the white pitch, myrrh, and the grounded remains of Egyptian mummies, humans and animals.
Mummy brown was used for glazes, shadows, flesh tones, and shading. Some artists believed that when bitumen and mummified flesh were used in oil paint, it wouldn’t crack or dry.
Mummy or Mummia is the substance used in embalming mummies or powder made from ground mummies.