The Beauty of Parasites

Sublime and reminiscent of botanical prints, the plates from Ernst Haeckel’s Kunstformen der Natur (Artforms of nature) (1904) are a treasure trove of color and design.

Born on February 16, 1834, Haeckel was a zoologist, and an accomplished artist and illustrator. His main interests were in evolution and life development processes. Haeckel’s ideas and discoveries became important to the history of evolutionary theory, though many of his speculations are now considered incorrect. His illustrative talents remain as interesting and unique today as when first published.