Skeleton of Man and of the Male Gorilla II
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 skelepton 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 II (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Salted paper print mounted on printed card |
| Brief description | Photograph by Roger Fenton, 'Skeleton of Man and of the Male Gorilla (Troglodytes Gorilla) II', salted paper print, c.1855 |
| Physical description | Two skeletons, photographed in profile side by side for comparative purposes. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Unlimited edition |
| Gallery label | Gallery 100, 'History of Photography', 2011-2012, label text for partner object 40849:
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. (2011-2012) |
| Production | Fenton was the 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 skelepton 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 | 40849 (Pair) |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 40850 |
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| Record created | June 30, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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