Jellyfish, Ernst Haeckel, Kunstformen Der Natur, 1874. It was a very long time after photography was invented that it became precise enough for scientific observation, especially at scale. The magnification, the lighting, the length of exposure all needed to play a lengthy and complex game of catch-up before they could be of much use in describing the structures of diatoms, for example. Ernst Haeckel, who felt a calling toward both art and science, spent hours at his microscopes, translating tiny and sometimes amorphous details into pen and ink, and sometimes color. These jellyfish were not that tiny, but the sheer delight and exuberance with which they are depicted by Haeckel's pen, without sacrificing accuracy, meld the best of both worlds. (posted by Peggy Nelson/@otolythe)
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