1. HISTORICAL VIEWS OF THE BODY IMAGES

2. Figure with flayed skin
Figure with flayed skin. Copied from an illustration by Vesalius (1638).
Credit: Wellcome Library, London
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3. Male nude
Engravings of anatomical designs: nudes. From ‘Tables of the Skeleton and Muscles of the Human Body’, by Bernhardus Siegfried Albinus, published 1749.
Credit: Wellcome Library, London

4. Female nude BIGPICTUREEDUCATION.COM
Engravings of anatomical designs: nudes. From ‘Tables of the Skeleton and Muscles of the Human Body’, by Bernhardus Siegfried Albinus, published 1749.
Credit: Wellcome Library, London
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5. Proportions of the female body
Proportions of the female body: front and back view of a female nude, with proportions marked. Lithograph by Martelli after C Squanquerillo, c.1840.
Credit: Wellcome Library, London
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6. Victorian strongman in his 20s
Eugen Sandow in a statuesque pose, from photo at about 26, with all muscles relaxed. Eugen Sandow (1867–1925) was a Victorian strongman and bodybuilder. Delicate as a boy, he became enthused by physical development after seeing the statues and pictures of ancient and classical heroes in the art galleries of Europe, and lived afterwards with one ambition only: to become as well-developed and strong as they were. From ‘Life is Movement: The physical reconstruction and regeneration of the people (a diseaseless world)’.
Credit: Wellcome Library, London
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7. Victorian strongman in his 50s
Photo of Eugen Sandow, showing excellence of physique at 52.
Credit: Wellcome Library, London
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8. Female acrobat in 1906 BIGPICTUREEDUCATION.COM
Two views of a female acrobat named La Senorita Barcaronow. She wears a short embroidered and spangled costume, a feathered headdress and satin shoes tied round her ankles with ribbons. Her poses and body development demonstrate the art of physical culture. From ‘La culture physique’, published 1906.
Credit: Wellcome Library, London
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9. Tom-Ton BIGPICTUREEDUCATION.COM
Postcard with a picture of ‘Tom-Ton, fat boy’. The card claims he weighed 645 lbs at the age of 21. This image is thought to date from the 1920s or 1930s.
Credit: Wellcome Library, London
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10. Health in the 1920s BIGPICTUREEDUCATION.COM
New York health and beauty expert Marguerite Agniel in a Buddha position with her legs crossed. Photograph by J de Mirjian, around 1929.
Credit: Wellcome Library, London
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11. Reusing our images Images and illustrations
All images, unless otherwise indicated, are from Wellcome Images.
Contemporary images are free to use for educational purposes (they have a Creative Commons Attribution, Non-commercial, No derivatives licence). Please make sure you credit them as we have done on the site; the format is ‘Creator’s name/Wellcome Images’.
Historical images have a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence: they’re free to use in any way as long as they’re credited to ‘Wellcome Library, London’.
Flickr images that we have used have a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence, meaning we – and you – are free to use in any way as long as the original owner is credited.
Cartoon illustrations are © Glen McBeth. We commission Glen to produce these illustrations for ‘Big Picture’. He is happy for teachers and students to use his illustrations in a classroom setting, but for other uses, permission must be sought.
We source other images from photo libraries such as Science Photo Library, Corbis and iStock and will acknowledge in an image’s credit if this is the case. We do not hold the rights to these images, so if you would like to reproduce them, you will need to contact the photo library directly.
If you’re unsure about whether you can use or republish a piece of content, just get in touch with us at