ABOUT THIS COLLECTION  
The French journalist and mathematician Amédée Guillemin (1826-1893) combined the science of optics and the fine art of science illustration in his Les phénomènes de la physique (1868), a work that continues to influence scientific illustrations of light and color spectra.  He eventually expanded that work into a five-volume physics encyclopedia, his magnum opus.  In order to reach audiences beyond the scientific community, Guillemin commissioned artists to make 31 colored lithographs, 80 black-and-white plates, and 2,012 illustrated diagrams of the physical phenomena he described. Some of the most striking (featured in our collection) were done by the Parisian intaglio printer and engraver René-Henri Digeon, based on sketches by the physicist Jean Thiébault Silbermann.
 
COLLECTION DETAILS
Series title: Optics Illustrations from the Physics Textbooks of Amédée Guillemin
Series size: 8 artworks
Edition: Limited edition of 1000
Proof of Ownership: Certification on the Ethereum blockchain under the ERC1155 protocol. Each artwork is delivered privately and directly to collectors as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that guarrante proof of ownership.
Format: Pieces consist of PNG files sized 2160x3840 pixels - 150 dpi.
Medium: Illustration, mezzotint, lithograph, photomechanical printing
Artwork materials:  Illustration paper, watercolour
Contract Address: 0x495f947276749ce646f68ac8c248420045cb7b5e
ID: 2749212597480566...
 
ABOUT THE ARTIST
René-Henri Digeon was a gifted printer and engraver in Paris (dates of birth and death unknown). His outstanding color-printing of the illustration plates for Amédée Guillemin’s encyclopedia were a big part of its success. This collection features the psychedelic images he made to depict the spectral distribution of color and the behavior of light. Especially amazing are the full-page color circles, one of which is seen here. Digeon’s work represents a high point in color-printing in the latter 19th century, while the Digeon-Guillemin collaboration provided a new model for future scientists to engage audiences in understanding scientific concepts.
 
COLLECTION CREDITS
Historical curatorship: HARI - Historical Art Research Institute (HARI Editions)
Artwork: René Henri Digeon, Maximilien Rapine, Alexandre-Blaise Desgoffe, J.Silbermann, Etienne Antoine Eugène Ronjat
Year of original publication: 1868/1882
Post-production: HARI - Historical Art Research Institute (HARI Editions)
Digital art supervisor: Marie-Lou Desmeules
Editorial: Braden Phillips
Historical research: Evangelos Rosios, Braden Phillips
Executive production: Victor Zabrockis
 
RIGHTS OVERVIEW
Source of artwork: Wellcome Library
Underlying work rights: PD Worldwide
Digital copyrights: Attribution