Queer Anatomies

Queer Anatomies: Aesthetics and Desire in the Anatomical Image, 1700-1900 examines the intersection of medical science and erotic expression. While sexual discourse was often suppressed in polite society, the discipline of anatomy provided a unique license to depict the intimate details of the human body. This volume 1 explores how anatomical plates served as sites of provocative and sensual representation. Through an analysis of 18th and 19th-century imagery, the text uncovers the subtle eroticism embedded within technical illustrations of dissected bodies and genitalia.

As a scholarly work of art history and medical history, Queer Anatomies investigates the male-dominated world of physicians and artists. The book utilizes 115 full-color reproductions of works by figures such as Gautier Dagoty and William Cheselden to decode the homoerotic undertones of anatomical study. This study of graphic arts and drawing provides a deep look into how anatomy functioned as a private space for queer expression and desire.