Bot uit een poot van een oeros before 1869

This monochromatic photograph captures a bone from the leg of an auroch. Though we don’t know its exact date or maker, we can consider its function as an image. The image is taken from the pages of a book. Photography, from the mid-19th century, played an important role in how museums and other institutions classified and displayed objects. The development of photography allowed for the mass reproduction of images and for the easy circulation of visual information. In this case, the bones of an auroch can be widely viewed and studied, and their presence in the world cataloged. Consider the historical context in which this photograph was made, and the institutional and scientific practices that informed it. This image allows us to reflect on how knowledge is produced, disseminated, and consumed. What specific features of the period in which it was made might have influenced the photograph's creation? The answers can be found in archives and libraries, places that enable historians to do their work.