Primate Bones, for "Art Anatomy" 1872

Curator: At the Harvard Art Museums we have William Rimmer’s “Primate Bones, for Art Anatomy”, a preparatory drawing by the American artist. The skeletal fragments float on the page, rendered in graphite. Editor: There's something very stark about this, a scientific detachment. The isolated bones feel like artifacts divorced from any living context. Curator: Rimmer was working within the 19th-century fascination with anatomy. His “Art Anatomy” series, from which this drawing originates, aimed to provide artists with a deeper understanding of the body's structure. The emphasis on primate bones is interesting because of the cultural debate around evolution. Editor: Yes, the pelvis bones, for instance, carry symbolic weight—the cradle of life, the very structure of posture and movement. Each bone is a testament to shared ancestry and embodies the complex relationship between form and function. Curator: Indeed. It reflects a moment when scientific advancement was radically reshaping our understanding of what it means to be human, and to create art. Editor: It leaves me thinking about the stories these fragments hold. Their silent testimony to life, evolution, and the enduring quest to understand our place in the natural world.