Harry Burton
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Harry Burton was born on 13th September 1879 at 18 Burghley Lane, Stamford, the fifth child of eleven children to William Burton, a cabinet maker, and his wife Anne. In his teens he began to work for the art historian Robert Henry Hobart Cust and in 1896 moved to Florence, Italy, acting as Cust's secretary and establishing a reputation as an art photographer. While in Florence, Burton met Theodore M. Davis, a wealthy American lawyer who sponsored a number of excavations of ancient tombs in Egypt. When in 1910 Cust returned to England, Burton went to Egypt, where Davis employed him as a photographer to record his excavations, including the artefacts found. When Davis relinquished his excavation permit in 1914, Burton was engaged by the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Egyptian Expedition to serve as their official photographer. Over the next few years Burton worked with the Metropolitan team on numerous excavations, mostly around Thebes. His photographs frequently appeared in the Bulletin of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and other publications, although they were often not credited.
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Burton’s greatest achievement came with the discovery of the young Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb by Howard Carter’s expedition in November 1922, probably the greatest archaeological discovery ever made. Burton took the first photographs of the tomb in December 1922, and there followed over 3,400 photographs of its contents meticulously recorded over the next ten years. In addition Burton borrowed a motion picture camera from Samuel Goldwyn Productions to record the opening of Tutankhamun’s Sarcophagus in February 1924.
On 18 July 1914 Burton had married Minnie Catherine Young at Chelsea Registry Office in London. When not in Egypt, they lived mainly in Florence where they were often visited by Howard Carter. They had no children. Burton continued to work in Egypt, but from 1937 Burton's health began to decline. He died of diabetes on 27 June 1940, aged 60. He was buried in the American cemetery in Asyut, Egypt.
The blue plaque commemorating Burton was researched and installed by the Society in 2022.
On 18 July 1914 Burton had married Minnie Catherine Young at Chelsea Registry Office in London. When not in Egypt, they lived mainly in Florence where they were often visited by Howard Carter. They had no children. Burton continued to work in Egypt, but from 1937 Burton's health began to decline. He died of diabetes on 27 June 1940, aged 60. He was buried in the American cemetery in Asyut, Egypt.
The blue plaque commemorating Burton was researched and installed by the Society in 2022.
