SHREVEPORT – From the inner workings of a decorative fountain to the inner workings of a human body, the James Smith Noel Collection’s latest exhibit highlights a variety of scientific illustrations from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.
The Noel Collection presents the exhibit “Science Illustrations: Past and Present,” which includes a collection of illustrations that document scientific discovery and belief at the time.
“One of the most interesting things about the collection is to see how people developed over time, developed their knowledge,” said Martha Lawler, director of the Noel Collection. “For example, one book on display shows to how to design an ornamental water fountain before the age of electricity or gas engines.
“This works strictly based on the laws of physics. The fountains at Versailles (France) for instance were created in much the same way in the 1700s.”
Human anatomy was a prime subject of this time period.
A black and white illustration of a pregnant woman sits in the center case, detailing the fetus, internal organs and blood vessels.
Anatomists of the day would have collected specimens in a number of ways – unclaimed bodies from hospitals or prisons, executed criminals, or from body snatchers (who would dig up recently buried bodies or steal them from the morgue).
The natural world is a favorite topic of the Noel Collection, and this exhibit features detailed colored illustrations of plants and animals as well as weather and climate models.
Copperplate engravings was the predominant way of reproducing scientific illustrations.
“They would take a sheet of copper with a sharp tool, dip it in acid, and draw the outline,” Lawler said. “Then they would go in and color it.
“The result was a realistic looking image with fine details.”
The collection consists of more than 200,000 books, which are housed on the third floor of the Noel Memorial Library on LSUS’s campus. The books encompass a wide range of topics, and themes are selected for display with exhibits changing every few months.
It’s the largest private collection of antiquarian books, prints and maps in the United States.
Tours of the exhibit and of the entire collection can be made by appointment. The collection is open from 8-4:30 on weekdays.
The Scientific Illustrations exhibit is scheduled to run through September.
