In 1837 the New York Historical Society loaned to the museum the Abbott collection, which when it was purchased in 1860 became the first important collection of Egyptian antiquities owned by a public institution in the United States. In 1948, the Abbott collection was purchased by the museum.
Notes on distribution:
66 objects from the Egypt Exploration Fund were transferred to Denver Museum of Nature and Science in the 1950s.
Relevant publications:
Bagnall, Roger S. 2000. The Columbia Papyrus Collection (New York). In Clarysse, Willy and Herbert Verreth (eds),Papyrus Collections World Wide: 9-10 March 2000 (Brussels - Leuven), 61-62. Wetteren: Vlaams Kennis- en Cultuurforum.
Bleiberg, Edward and Kathlyn M. Cooney 2008. To live forever: Egyptian treasures from the Brooklyn Museum. Brooklyn, NY; London: Brooklyn Museum; Giles.
