Ethnographical Map Showing the Distribution of the Human Race', 1851

Ethnographical Map Showing the Distribution of the Human Race', 1851. This hand-coloured engraved plate is taken from a series of books illustrated by James Emslie and published and probably written by James Reynolds of 174 Strand in London in 1850 in response to the popular demand for information on the developments taking place in science and engineering as a result of the Industrial Revolution. Superbly illustrated images with a related text were presented loose in a portfolio so that they could be passed around a class or lecture room or used as posters. Titled 'The Distribution of the Human Race', the map shows the population density around the world along with the ethnographic racial groups then recognised. The basis of these divisions is illustrated in a separate diagram showing the skull forms of different races. A smaller inset map also outlines the global distribution of the world's various religions. ©SSPL/Science Museum