Catalan Visual Representations of Darwinism during the Nineteenth-Century

Authors

  • Francesc Xavier Vall i Solaz Departament de Filologia Catalana Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Keywords:

scientific controversies, Darwin, Darwinism, anti-Darwinism, iconography, nineteenth century, Catalonia

Abstract

This paper presents images related to Darwinism created or reproduced in Catalonia, particularly in Barcelona, or in a journal published by Catalans emigrated to the United States, La Llumanera de Nova York, during the nineteenth century. Above all they served to popularize Darwinism, sometimes involving bitter controversies. We analyse various iconographic representations, mostly unknown, which are classified according to certain stereotypes, although, in some cases, they surpassed them: the evolutionary sequences (including the research of ancestors), the animalization of man (often as an ape), the humanization of other animals (especially, primates) and the mythification of scientists (in particular, Darwin).
Key words: scientific controversies, Darwin, Darwinism, anti-Darwinism, iconography, nineteenth century, Catalonia

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Vol. 8 (2015)

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Articles

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