Skeleton of Man and of the Male Gorilla (Troglodytes Gorilla)
Photograph
c.1855 (photographed)
c.1855 (photographed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
When this photograph was taken, Roger Fenton was the official photographer at the British Museum. (The British Museum then held the collections that now comprise the Natural History Museum.) The human skeleton depicted is of no special significance, apart from the fact that it is probably of a European. The gorilla, however, shows evidence of severe trauma to its left arm - a bite from a lion to the lower part of its left humerus. Gorillas do not spend much time ‘standing’ upright because it takes muscle energy for them to do so. Thus, the supposedly ‘neutral’ presentation of a gorilla skeleton is in fact the presentation of an idea: ‘a gorilla standing is not too different from a human standing’.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Skeleton of Man and of the Male Gorilla (Troglodytes Gorilla) (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Salted paper print mounted on printed card |
| Brief description | Photograph by Roger Fenton, 'Skeleon of Man and of the Male Gorilla (Troglodytes Gorilla)', salted paper print, c.1855 |
| Physical description | Two skeletons photographed side by side for comparative purposes. Printed with Fenton's credit. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Production type | Unlimited edition |
| Gallery label | Gallery 100, ‘History of photography’, 2011-2012, label text :
Roger Fenton (1819-69)
‘Skeleton of Man and of the Male Gorilla
(Troglodytes Gorilla)’
About 1855
A leader in the first generation of photographers,
Fenton was the official photographer at the British
Museum, which held the collections that today
comprise the Natural History Museum. Photography
rapidly became a valuable aid to scientific research.
The ape skeleton has been reconstructed in a
more upright form than natural to emphasise the
similarities between humans and apes. The gorilla’s
left arm shows evidence of a lion bite.
Salted paper print
Museum no. 40.849
(07 03 2014) |
| Production | Fenton was official photographer at the British Museum at this time Reason For Production: Retail |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | When this photograph was taken, Roger Fenton was the official photographer at the British Museum. (The British Museum then held the collections that now comprise the Natural History Museum.) The human skeleton depicted is of no special significance, apart from the fact that it is probably of a European. The gorilla, however, shows evidence of severe trauma to its left arm - a bite from a lion to the lower part of its left humerus. Gorillas do not spend much time ‘standing’ upright because it takes muscle energy for them to do so. Thus, the supposedly ‘neutral’ presentation of a gorilla skeleton is in fact the presentation of an idea: ‘a gorilla standing is not too different from a human standing’. |
| Associated object | 40850 (Pair) |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 40849 |
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| Record created | February 7, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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