This is supposedly the severed mummified hand of an unnamed Egyptian princess which was a gift that was presented to Secretary of the Library Company of Philadelphia in 1767 by Benjamin West (1738-1820). This was a full ten years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. West was an artist who was born and raised in Philadelphia but lived in London in his later years when he gifted the mummified hand. There was no documentation accompanying the hand.
Over the years, The Library Company collected a massive number of similar artifacts. While specimens were stored in their possession (pickled animals, animal skins and bones, fossils), many developed an offensive odor. The dilemma of what to do with them was solved when the Librarian was given permission to dispose of all those where the odor had become offensive. This greatly reduced the number of artifacts they kept on hand.
Source: Library Company’s Artifact Collection
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