Anatomical Illustrations of Dissections (1867) by George Viner Ellis and George Henry Ford

 

Illustrations of Dissections (1867) by George Viner Ellis and George Henry Ford is a remarkable anatomical atlas featuring life-sized colored plates depicting human dissections. The illustrations were created by Ford based on dissections performed by Ellis, and they were printed using chromolithography,  a relatively advanced technique at the time.

This atlas was part of a broader effort in the 19th century to improve medical education through highly detailed anatomical drawings. The plates are known for their accuracy and aesthetic quality,  making them valuable both scientifically and artistically.

The drawings are from nature and on stone by Mr. Ford, from dissections by Professor Ellis.
OF NOTE : Like Maclise, and Carswell, Ellis was professor of anatomy at University College, London, which in the first thirty-five years of its existence, produced a remarkable series of anatomical atlases. Ellis and his artist Ford chose the comparatively new method of chromolithography for the reproduction of their imperial folio atlas of fifty-eight plates.
The printing of such complex plates in color was difficult, as chromolithography was still in a developmental stage; the plates were printed between 1863 and 1867, with four to seven finished each year. The plates are exceptional for accuracy and clarity; they are also exceptional for their aesthetic depiction of the dead.