King Tut

For the first time since the modern rediscovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, a traveling exhibition in the 1960’s brought artifacts from the site to museums outside of Egypt. Just as they did in the 1920’s, the lavish relics of alabaster and gold created a world-wide sensation in popular arts and culture and helped showcase the spectacular history of ancient Egypt.

Dick White’s artwork here is almost mechanical, especially compared to his more cartoonish work of the following years. The background pattern seems intended to suggest papyrus, while the halftone dots and texture foreshadow the 4-color printing process Bally would adopt in the 1970’s.