A pen and ink illustration of a phrenological head, made by Alfred Swaine Taylor, England, about 1825.

Alfred Swaine Taylor (1806-1880) is often described as the ‘father of forensic medicine’. He was a doctor, teacher, an early pioneer of photography, as well as a famous toxicologist. He became something of a Victorian celebrity after providing evidence on several famous poisoning trials including that of William Palmer.

His sketches demonstrate the interrelationship of artistic and scientific skills and how Swaine Taylor approached ways of looking and thinking in both his professional and private life, as a medic, forensic examiner and expert witness, and whilst at leisure.