For decades now, the late Egyptologist Howard Carter has been celebrated for his discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. Since Carter’s death in 1939, his personal papers, chiefly relating to that discovery, have been in the possession of his family, most recently his niece and principal heir. Next month, Bonhams will offer the papers, along with a variety of Carter’s personal items, at a sale in London, where they’re expected to bring $160,000-$240,000.
The papers include his autograph drafts of his account of the Tutankhamun discovery, including his notes, and correspondence with other Egyptologists. There are, as well, typescripts of his lectures, and autobiographical notes, which detail, among other things, his experiences as Chief Inspector of the Upper Nile (1899-1904).
