From ancient Alexandria, Egypt to modern day Chicago, IL, museums have resided all over the world for all different purposes. Check out the history of museums here.
2. Mesopotamia of 530 B.C.
contained the first
recorded museum, that
of Ennigaldi-Nanna.
M I K U S K I N S
3. ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT
A building set apart for study and the arts at first blended with
the notion of a library, and the most notable library of the
ancient world was in Alexandria, Egypt.
4. THE FIRST
MUSEUMS
From then on, museums created
by the wealthy preserved
historical artifacts for family
members, at first, and then the
public.
5. THE FIRST PUBLIC
MUSEUM
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.
6. 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
7. ONGOING DECISION MAKING
From the individual's caprice to the measured judgment of a
museum board, decisions on what to display and what to shelve
remain ongoing.
8. P.T. BARNUM
For instance, P.T. Barnum's
museum bordered on the freak
show and yet retained high
popularity and consequent
financial success.
9. MODERN
MUSEUMS
Modern museums strive to
deliver a hands-on experience
that engages the public, satisfies
curiosity, and yet preserves the
artifacts for future generations.
10. THE FUTURE OF
MUSEUMS
The history of museums will not
end with online museums, IMAX
presentations, and wine tastings
among the elite at private
midnight showings.