History

The World’s First Museum of Lost Things

Anyone with an internet connection can ‘visit’ this virtual museum of pilfered artifacts.
The World’s First Museum of Lost Things
"Der Arme Poet" ("The Poor Poet"), 1839, by Carl Spitzweg. 14 1/5 inches by 17 1/2 inches. On Sept. 3, 1989, art thieves stole the painting; it has not resurfaced.Public Domain
Walker Larson
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The burning of the library of Alexandria. The disappearance of the Irish crown jewels. The loss of the Amber Room. Throughout history, moments of extraordinary cultural loss occur, each one leaving us a little more culturally impoverished then we were before.

What beautiful and important manuscripts, jewelry, weapons and tools have slipped through the cracks of time and disappeared? It’s a question that has haunted archeologists and museum curators for centuries. It’s also found fertile ground in the popular imagination, giving rise to far-fetched tales like the Indiana Jones and National Treasure series.

Walker Larson
Walker Larson
Author
Prior to becoming a freelance journalist and culture writer, Walker Larson taught literature and history at a private academy in Wisconsin, where he resides with his wife and daughter. He holds a master's in English literature and language, and his writing has appeared in The Hemingway Review, Intellectual Takeout, and his Substack, The Hazelnut. He is also the author of two novels, "Hologram" and "Song of Spheres."