[X-Ray of the Mummy of a Raptor]

Art Historical Context

In 1896, just a year after Wilhelm Röntgen's groundbreaking discovery of X-rays, scientist Dr. Henri van Heck captured this gelatin silver print titled *X-Ray of the Mummy of aaptor*. Measuring a modest 6 3/ × 4 34 inches, the image the delicate skeletal structure of a mummified bird of prey—likely a falcon, sacred in ancient Egyptian culture—preserved through millennia. Part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Gilman Collection, it exemplifies early scientific photography's role in bridging archaeology and modern technology. This print highlights the gelatin silver process, prized for its sh...