Achteraanzicht van een schedel en gezicht op een onderkaak before 1875

Simonau & Toovey made this print of a skull and jawbone to illustrate the texture of the bone as a grainy, almost porous, material. The composition uses the stark contrast between the dark specimens and the light background to highlight their stark shapes. The forms sit within a geometric frame which isolates them from their original context. This creates a sense of detached observation, inviting the viewer to analyze the remains as objects of scientific scrutiny. The choice of monochrome removes any colour distractions, focusing attention on the structure of the bones themselves. This reduction to essential forms and textures echoes a broader cultural fascination with uncovering the underlying structures that define both the natural and human worlds. The work challenges traditional notions of beauty and representation by presenting something unsettling as a subject of study. It asks us to reconsider fixed ideas about anatomy, the body, and our own mortality.