Twee aanzichten van een menselijke schedel, bovenaanzicht en en profil before 1869

This anonymous print shows two views of a human skull, and it appeared in a French archeological publication at the end of the 19th century. The image belongs to a period when the natural sciences were increasingly influencing the institutions of art. In the 1800s, the discipline of art history was just emerging, and its practitioners adopted a scientific approach to the study of artworks. Comparative anatomy, for example, was used to determine the authenticity and date of ancient sculptures. Photography played a key role in this movement. Reproductions of artworks and archeological finds made them available for closer study and comparison, and photography was regarded as an objective and reliable tool of documentation. To understand the history of images like this one, we can consult a wide range of primary sources – scientific treatises, museum archives, and the publications of learned societies.