A 160 Year Old Grand Old Flag

This 34 star US flag flew during opening ceremonies of the first railroad bridge in Davenport, Iowa. The date was April 21, 1856 - 160 years ago today. See it at Davenport's Putnum Museum.

A Bit More of King Tut at Davenport's Putnum Museum

A few more photos of the King Tut replica exhibition at the Putnum Museum in Davenport, Iowa. This statue is one of several roughly two foot travelers that helped make the journey to the other side a bit less stressful for the boy king.

We often see the famous golden mask of Tut from a straight on front view. Here is a view from the right side. While this mask is a replica, the craftsmanship and attention to detail in reproducing the original is extraordinary. The sands of time are shifting. You have until the first week in September 2016 to see the full display and experience what it was like to discover King Tut and the unexpected burial chamber treasures.

King Tut's Treasure at the Putnum Museum

Between now and the first week in September 2016 the treasures of King Tut's tomb discovery are on display at the Putnum Museum in Davenport, Iowa. While these replicas carefully show minute detail of the originals, the story telling graphics and videos really make the exhibit experience both educational and entertaining. Besides how can you not take a great photo of the golden mask?

Within the burial vault you can see how the original orientation of objects appeared when Howard Carter and others first opened the tomb in the 1920s. The narration tells the story of what each piece meant and how it was laid out in the vault. Further into the exhibit visitors can get close-up to the famous golden mask and sarcophagus to study the accurately reproduced detail. 

While it may be years before the original tomb items make the trip to Iowa, this was a great chance to see what is generally regarded as iconic, historical and artistic. More photos will be part of another posting soon.

A Bit of Bix

Bix Beiderbecke was a jazz trumpet player who played mostly in the 1920s. His cornet is on display at the Putnam Museum in Davenport, Iowa where Bix hailed from. As cool as that is, read the statement from trumpet legend Louis Armstrong just above Bix's cornet - can't get a better accolade than that.