Ernst Haeckel, Racist Evolutionary Theory, 1868

Racist evolutionary theory published by E. Haeckel, 1868. This Great Chain of Being of Race portrays an evolutionary chain running from monkeys to humans, in order of the racial and national perferences of the publishers. The heads pictured were supposed to represent, from top to bottom and left to right, Indo-German, Chinese, Fuegian, Australian Negro, African Negro, Tasmanian, gorilla, chimpanzee, orang, gibbon, proboscis monkey, and mandrill. The naturalist Ernst Haeckel (1834 - 1919) was a German biologist, naturalist, philosopher, physician, professor and artist who discovered, described and named thousands of new species, mapped a genealogical tree relating all life forms, and coined many terms in biology, including anthropogeny, ecology, phylum, phylogeny, and the kingdom Protista. Haeckel promoted and popularized Charles Darwin's work in Germany, though he and Darwin did not always agree. Haeckel's racist views, though not exceptional for the time, were incorporated into his scientific work. This image has been color enhanced

Restrictions Only for Ireland and United Kingdom

Aboriginal Chimp Chimpanzee Enhancement Eugenics Evolutionary Fuegian Gibbon Gorilla Haeckel Mandrill Orang Orangutan Primate Proboscis Tasmanian Theory

Features In These Collections

> Contributors > PHR