Daily Life in Egypt: Ancient and Modern, 1925 | From the Vaults

Modern Egypt is a country of nearly one hundred million people, who live in densely populated cities like Cairo as well as towns and villages. A century ago, when this film was made, the population was much smaller, and to Western visitors the way of life along the Nile River appeared to resemble that of Pharaonic Egypt. Certain agricultural practices, and some festival traditions, seemed connected to the ancient past, echoing scenes decorating tombs from 3,500 years before. Among the first films made by The Met, “Daily Life in Egypt” features stunningly clear footage taken by the photographer Harry Burton and Albert M. Lythgoe, founding curator of the Museum’s Department of Egyptian Art. As part of The Met’s 150th anniversary in 2020, each month we will release three to four films from the Museum’s extensive moving-image archive, which comprises over 1,500 films, both made and collected by the Museum, from the 1920s onward. This includes rarely seen artist profiles and documentaries, as well as process films about art-making techniques and behind-the-scenes footage of the Museum. © 2020 The Metropolitan Museum of Art