No.108 Base View of a Cranium, Army Medical Museum, stereoview, c. 1870

This stereoview was part of a series of photographs taken by the Army Medical Museum of the skulls of Native Americans in the 1860s and 70s. This image is a significant piece of medical photographic history, as it documents past practices and studies that utilized photography.
 
The Army Medical Museum was established in 1862 and, in 1868, asked all Army medical personnel located in what was then referred to as "Indian country" for specimens of skulls from Native Americans. The source of this skull was a sacred burying ground. The aim of this collection was for the study of craniometry, a branch of racial science used to delineate the different varieties of humankind and to rank them according to their perceived intellectual attributes. Such attempts to relate the form of the skull to a particular characteristic or intelligence are today unanimously denounced by the scientific community as pseudoscience. This collecting practice and analysis method are no longer acceptable and are reflective of the time period. 
 
This image is one of a unique set of stereograms. Other views from this set can be found at the Peabody Museum and the Getty Museum.
 
Photographer: Army Medical Museum
Format: Albumen Stereoview
Size: 3.5 x 7 inches
Condition: Very Good