Visual Science

Images play many roles in scientific research.

Images can record fleeting events, make unseen things visible, or transform abstract ideas into concrete objects. They can summarize, clarify, or communicate discoveries.

Some scientists work with artists— painters, photographers, sculptors, and computer graphic artists— to create images that are beautiful and true. Some discover ways to make images of hidden worlds. Others find knowledge in visual patterns. In each case, images play an active role in creating and circulating knowledge.

This exhibit is based on recommendations by the faculty and students of Harvard’s Department of the History of Science. The images are drawn from a variety of disciplines and span the past two hundred years. Together, these items reveal the importance of visual work within science and highlight the beauty of the images created.

This digital exhibit is based on a  physical exhibit  that was on view at the Collection of Scientific Instruments at Harvard University from 2019-2021.

Throughout history and across disciplines, scientists have worked beside artists to discover and communicate new ideas. Many scientists have themselves been artists.

Sometimes the skilled hand of an artist is the best way to capture the truth.

Some scientific instruments create images, rather than measurements. They allow scientists to see invisible worlds.

Researchers become experts in reading and interpreting these images. They search pictures for patterns that reveal the nature of the phenomena that they study.

Scientists also learn to see and imagine the world in new ways.

Sometimes this means learning to picture abstract or unfamiliar concepts in the mind’s eye. Sometime it’s a matter of learning about how the mind and the eye work together to create sight.