A Body of Evidence: An Art Historical perspective on Eighteenth and ...

lectures on anatomy, and for educating the general public. 75 Models displayed in
these museums were used to explain the internal organs, particularly the
reproductive organs. These models consisted <strong>of</strong> predominantly whole body
models that helped the audience understand the situation <strong>of</strong> the organs. Many <strong>of</strong>
the models had previously been in private anatomical collections in Europe, and
in Britain they <strong>of</strong>ten came from anatomical collections in France. 76 This indicates
that by the late eighteenth century there was a trade in existing models and an
expansion in the production <strong>of</strong> these models by companies and individuals,
particularly in France, that catered to the new public audience.
During the nineteenth century, with the rise <strong>of</strong> the public anatomical museum
the outward beauty <strong>of</strong> the wax models features grew in importance. This
development beyond their earlier status as ‘stand in ‘ bodies for teaching
dissection led to a tension between the internal and external treatment. In other
words, there was a need to make the models acceptable for the general public
and their sense <strong>of</strong> decorum while at the same time presenting accurate anatomy.
The use <strong>of</strong> classical names for these models in nineteenth century Britain and
France enabled them to be seen in a more artistic light, making them accessible to
a female audience in particular. 77 Many <strong>of</strong> the advertising brochures for
anatomical museums during the nineteenth century describe these wax
75 Sappol, 2002, p. 277.
76 Bermeister, 2000, pp. 35-36.
77 A major focus <strong>of</strong> the popular nineteenth century anatomical museum was the education <strong>of</strong> women about
childbirth and venereal disease. Burmeister, 2000, p. 26.