Vrouw met een litteken op haar borst na het verwijderen van een sarcoom before 1884

These photogravures show "Vrouw met een litteken op haar borst na het verwijderen van een sarcoom," or, “Woman with a scar on her chest after removal of a sarcoma,” and were printed by an anonymous artist. The stark contrast between light and shadow sculpts the contours of the subject's body, drawing our eye to the focal point: the scarring and treated area. The composition, divided into two panels, offers a before-and-after narrative, a stark, comparative study in medical intervention. The formal presentation invites a reading beyond the merely clinical; it touches upon themes of transformation and the body as a site of medical drama. The photograph unsettles our understanding of the body as a seamless, natural entity. In its raw depiction, the work challenges established meanings, revealing the vulnerability and transformative potential inherent in the human form when confronted with illness. It serves as a powerful statement on mortality and the interventionist nature of medical science.