Ernst Haeckel: the art of evolution – in pictures
The influential evolutionary scientist, who coined such terms as ‘stem cell’ and ‘ecology’, was also a virtuoso illustrator. The editor of a new book celebrating this work introduces some highlights
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Monograph on the Radiolaria, 1862, vol 1, plate 15
‘Haeckel (1834-1919) was a scientist, philosopher, physician, professor. He coined many words in biology that we still use today, such as ecology, phylum and stem cell. Haeckel was outstanding as a scientific artist. Instead of drawing just a front view, he also illustrated the other side if visible through gaps and holes in the skeletons. The result was a three-dimensional picture – rarely seen until then. Also, many of the life forms he drew were completely unknown to the public.’Illustration: Taschen Köln/Universität Heidelberg
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Atlas of Calcareous Sponges, 1872, plate 6
‘No other scientist had the capacity to make such beautiful works of art while also depicting organisms very accurately. Many of Haeckel’s contemporaries thought that he went too far with his stylistic flair - but he knew all too well that a wide audience must be reached to get support for the natural sciences and the idea of evolution. To combine scientific accuracy with the presentation of natural beauty reflects his philosophy – that everything in the universe coheres.’Illustration: Taschen Köln/Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen
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Monograph on the Medusae, vol 1, 1879, plate 1
‘Haeckel showed many of his jellyfish and siphonophorae as if they were in water, unfolding their arms and finest tentacles, like floating hair. He put much effort into arranging his plates in an attractive way with respect to their general structure and size. But the objects Haeckel examined are, in themselves, of outstanding beauty. Is there anything more beautiful than nature? Put all these things together and you get a genuine “Haeckel”. This is what makes his work unique.’Illustration: Taschen Köln/Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen
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Monograph on the Medusae, vol 2, 1881, plate 1
‘As a professor, he was beloved by his pupils, many of whom themselves became professors of biology around the world. They always described Haeckel as “a person one can only love”. But he had his enemies as a scientist, particularly in the Catholic church. He once said: “I am forced to react as I do.” He felt what he said and wrote was a reaction to the world. I’m not sure how true that was – but there were two different people in Haeckel, depending on who he was speaking to.’Illustration: Taschen Köln/Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen
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Report on the Siphonophorae collected by HMS Challenger, 1888, plate 50
‘The first time Haeckel and Charles Darwin met in 1866, Haeckel was 32 and Darwin was 57. Darwin was a bit anxious, as the response to Origin of Species had been lukewarm in Germany, so he invited the biologist and his “bulldog” Thomas Henry Huxley as a third wheel; if there was some kind of confrontation, he could defuse it.’Illustration: Taschen Köln/Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen
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Cnidarians, from Art Forms in Nature, 1899–1904, plate 8
‘But Darwin said he never met such a cordial, open-minded person as Haeckel and wrote this in several letters to friends. Darwin’s wife was enthusiastic about Haeckel too – his English was far from flawless and he sometimes used the wrong words, so they had a lot of fun.’Illustration: Taschen Köln/Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen
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Cnidarians and Siphonophores Art Forms in Nature, 1899–1904, plate 17
‘When Darwin lost his eldest daughter Annie in 1851, he felt there could not be anything like a God [in the world]. And this caused a lot of trouble between him and his wife Emma, who was a strong believer. Haeckel lost his wife at the age of 29. He had had his doubts already, but that was the final step for him to say that there was no God – and if there was, it must be nature in its entirety.’Illustration: Taschen Köln/Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen
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Cnidarians and Scyphozoans, from Art Forms in Nature, 1899–1904, plate 28
‘During his life, most Europeans were kind of racist – and so was Haeckel. He also wrote a lot about the death penalty and supported it; Huxley and Darwin opposed it, as well as being vocally against slavery. They were much more human. Many of Haeckel’s political views were not comparable to Darwin’s.’Illustration: Taschen Köln/Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen
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Crustaceans, from Art Forms in Nature, 1899–1904, plate 56
‘After his death in 1919, Haeckel’s idea that “politics is applied biology” was co-opted by Nazi propagandists. He was a racist, but I think it is also a fundamental misunderstanding to link him to Nazi beliefs.’Illustration: Taschen Köln/Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen
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Radiolarians, from Art Forms in Nature, 1899–1904, plate 71
‘In Art Forms of Nature, he re-illustrated some of the microscopic objects he had seen 20, 30 years previously, but here he showed them on a black background. This one, of protozoa, is among my favourites, because they show what Haeckel was able to do.’Illustration: Taschen Köln/Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen
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Fungi - Club fungi, from Art Forms in Nature, 1899–1904, plate 63
‘Haeckel never put something into any of his drawings that he had not seen. They are so accurate that some of his drawings are still used in textbooks today.’Illustration: Taschen Köln/Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen
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The Art and Science of Ernst Haeckel is published by Taschen.
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