Sutro Egyptian Collection
The Verdict
"About 700 ancient Egyptian artifacts including two intact mummies, collected by Mayor Adolph Sutro in Thebes in the 1880s. Free at SF State's Global Museum, 1600 Holloway. Check the SFSU website for hours since exhibitions rotate."
What you need to know
What’s There
The Sutro Egyptian Collection holds about 700 objects spanning the pre-Dynastic to Greco-Roman periods, including two intact mummies, three mummified heads, and a mummified hand. Adolph Sutro, who served as mayor of San Francisco from 1895 to 1897, acquired the pieces from Thebes, Egypt during the 1880s.
Sutro originally displayed the collection at his Sutro Baths complex on the western edge of the city, where it remained from 1895 until 1966. It moved to San Francisco State University’s Classics Department in 1972 and is now part of the SFSU Global Museum.
The mummy cases and decorated cartonnage are covered in hieroglyphics and painted scenes depicting the afterlife. Everyday objects (a bone comb, a clay pot, beads) sit alongside the funerary pieces.
The Global Museum is a teaching museum, so exhibitions change and the full collection isn’t always on display. Check ahead. A visit takes 20 to 30 minutes.
Visiting
Address: Global Museum, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, Parkmerced
Hours: Vary by semester. Typically Tuesday to Saturday during the school year. Check the SFSU website.
Cost: Free
Best time to go: During the academic year when exhibitions are active.
What to know: The museum is inside the university campus. Look for the Fine Arts building or ask at the information desk.
Getting There
Transit: Muni M-Oceanview to SFSU station. The 28-19th Avenue bus also stops at the campus.
Parking: SFSU parking garages (paid). Street parking on surrounding residential blocks.
Walking: Near Stonestown Galleria and Lake Merced.