Man Proportions

This scientific, folio copperplate engraving is from Denis Diderot & Jean le Rond d’Alembert’s Encyclopedie ou Dictionnaire raisonne des sciences, des arts et des metiers, par une societe de gens de lettres. The work was published in Paris between 1751 and 1776.

Encyclopedie was an expansive work including illustrations of natural history, ship building, maps, sports, and much more. It was the first work of it’s kind to feature mechanical drawings. The work truly embodied the thought of the Enlightenment with Diderot noting the goal was “to change the way people think.” It became a strong reference work for the arts and sciences.