Matte R. (fixedschwinn) reviewed Mutter Museum: Of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia on + 10 more book reviews
I had considered buying this book, because I couldn't seem to find it anywhere to take a look at it... but read some pretty terrible reviews of it. Then I was able to get it on an interlibrary loan. For the most part, I think the book does a good job of showcasing some of the pieces at the Mutter Museum (at least for someone who hasn't been there yet.) However, some of the attempts at artistry are just annoying. I didn't need to see the photographer's? dog with it's face in a pelvis or it's foot on a jar. Nor did I need to see some hairy chest dude wearing a piece of flesh on his face. Some of the pictures are just straight up reproductions of old photos, others are artfully composed displays of museum artifacts, and then there are ones that are an attempt at artful composition but which obscure the subject matter either through blurring it or cropping. The book is mostly pictures (focused on diseased and deformed humans) with just short descriptions. There's more detailed information about the museum and it's collections at the front and back of the book. Overall I'd say this book is definitely worth looking at and probably worth purchasing
