Artificial Leg Collection

Louis Blin [Monitor, French Cripple School], 17 May 1918. Creator: Bain News Service
Louis Blin [Monitor, French Cripple School], 17 May 1918 (date created or published later). Louis Blin, a man with artificial legs who served as a monitor at French school for the disabled.

Soldier memories, 1860. Creator: Johan Christoffer Boklund
Soldier memories, 1860

Beggar with a Wooden Leg, 1632. Creator: Jan Georg van Vliet
Beggar with a Wooden Leg, 1632. From The Beggar, plate 2

Plate 12 for Thomas Smollett's The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, 1785. Creator: Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki
Plate 12 for Thomas Smollett's The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, 1785

Improvement of the Morals, 1786. Creator: Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki
Improvement of the Morals, 1786

Former general as a street musician, 1895-1899. Creator: Jan de Waardt
Former general as a street musician, 1895-1899. A veteran who was a general in the Dutch East Indies, and lost his left leg in battle, tries to earn money as a busker by singing to a barrel organ

View of the Inn De Schulp and the Herberg Rozendael on the Ringdijk in Amsterdam, 1700-1799. Creator: Anon
View of the Inn De Schulp and the Herberg Rozendael on the Ringdijk in Amsterdam, 1700-1799. On the left the Oetewaler Bridge over the Ringvaart

Soldiers Reading-Room, St. Mary's Barracks, Chatham, 1856. Creator: Unknown
Soldiers Reading-Room, St. Mary's Barracks, Chatham, 1856. The annual return of between three and four thousand soldiers from India and the British Colonies - who, either from impaired health

Pauvre vieux, 19th century. Creator: Honore Daumier
Pauvre vieux, 19th century. Poor old man

Treasure Island, Newark, NJ, 1937. Creator: Unknown
Treasure Island, Newark, NJ, 1937. W.P.A Federal Children's Theatre Presents Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island"'. The Federal Theatre Project, created by the U.S

Treasure Island, New York, 1938. Creator: Unknown
Treasure Island, New York, 1938. The Federal Theatre Project, created by the U.S. Works Progress Administration in 1935, was designed to conserve and develop the skills of theater workers

Collier's Greater New York, Petrus Stuyvesant, Governor of New Amsterdam, 1647, January 25, 1902, Price Ten Cents, c1902. [Publisher: Harper Publications; Place: New York]

Their Majesties, The King and Queen, with the Princesses Inspecting Boys Who Have Become Scouts Des Creator: Unknown
Their Majesties, The King and Queen, with the Princesses Inspecting Boys Who Have Become Scouts Despite Physical Handicaps, 1944

Platonic Love, May 30, 1807. May 30, 1807. Creator: Thomas Rowlandson
Platonic Love, May 30, 1807

A Disabled Man with a Crutch and a Wooden Leg, 1616. Creator: Jacques Callot
A Disabled Man with a Crutch and a Wooden Leg, 1616. Series: Les Gobbi

Shaker Peg Leg Stand, 1935 / 1942. Creator: Irving I. Smith
Shaker Peg Leg Stand, 1935/1942

Having said that, this poor invalid gives us a curtsy, and goes hobbling off from Scenes from the Private and Public Life of Animals, ca. 1837-47

No. 4: Cook, February 15, 1799. Creator: Henri Merke
No. 4: Cook, February 15, 1799

Letter I (chromolitho)
3626570 Letter I (chromolitho) by Zweigle, Walter (1859-1904); Private Collection; (add.info.: Letter I. Illustration from Welt-ABC (Gustav Weise, Stuttgart, c1894).); © Look and Learn

A late reward (colour litho)
2819156 A late reward (colour litho) by French School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: A late reward. Jean-Henry Phelipot receiving a medal for his bravery at the Siege of Sevastopol)

Les malins unipieds. Illustration for Le Pele-Mele, 1906 (colour litho)
3101421 Les malins unipieds. Illustration for Le Pele-Mele, 1906 (colour litho) by French School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Les malins unipieds)

War veterans receiving smallpox vaccinations (colour litho)
2807880 War veterans receiving smallpox vaccinations (colour litho) by French School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: War veterans receiving smallpox vaccinations)

Beggar with Wooden Leg. Creator: Unknown
Beggar with Wooden Leg

Beggar with a Wooden Leg, 1632. Creator: Jan Georg van Vliet
Beggar with a Wooden Leg, 1632

Cripple with Crutch and Wooden Leg, c. 1622. Creator: Jacques Callot
Cripple with Crutch and Wooden Leg, c. 1622

Beggar with Wooden Leg, c. 1622. Creator: Jacques Callot
Beggar with Wooden Leg, c. 1622

Hudibras Triumphant (Twelve Large Illustrations for Samuel Butlers Hudibras, Plate 4), 1725-68

Hudibrass First Adventure (Twelve Large Illustrations for Samuel Butlers Hudibras, Plate 3), 1725-68

Hudibras Triumphant (Plate 4: Illustrations to Samuel Butlers Hudibras), 1725-30 (?)

The Adventure of the Bear and the Fiddle (Plate 3: Illustrations to Samuel Butler s
The Adventure of the Bear and the Fiddle (Plate 3: Illustrations to Samuel Butlers Hudibras), 1725-30 (?)

Hudibras First Adventure (Twelve Large Illustrations for Samuel Butlers Hudibras, Plate 3), February 1725-26

Hudibras First Adventure (Seventeen Small Illustrations for Samuel Butlers Hudibras, no. 2), 1721-26

Beggar with a Wooden Leg, ca. 1630. Creator: Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn
Beggar with a Wooden Leg, ca. 1630

Fortune Favoring France (La Fortune de la France), ca. 1635-37. Creator: Abraham Bosse
Fortune Favoring France (La Fortune de la France), ca. 1635-37

The Ratcatcher, mid to late 17th century. Creator: Abraham Bosse
The Ratcatcher, mid to late 17th century

Soldier with a pegleg, mid-19th century. Creator: Victor Adam
Soldier with a pegleg, mid-19th century

The Swiss Sentry at the Louvre, 1819. Creator: Theodore Gericault
The Swiss Sentry at the Louvre, 1819

Liberality and Desire, November 29, 1788. November 29, 1788. Creator: Thomas Rowlandson
Liberality and Desire, November 29, 1788

Uncle George and Black Dick at their New Game of Naval Shuttlecock, January 11, 1787

Greenwich Pensioner, Greenwich Hospital, London, c1840. Artist: T Holles
Greenwich Pensioner flanked by a man and a woman, showing a picture to a child at his side; Greenwich Hospital, London, c1840

A French Frigate Towing an English Man-of-War into Port, late 18th-early 19th century, (1929). Illustration from the Apollo Volume X, no 55, (July 1929)

A Showman, Hyde Park Corner, London, 1805. A copper plate representing the itinerant traders of London, from Modern London; Being the History and Present State of the British Metropolis

Long Sermons and Long Sieges are apt to Lull the Senses, February 11, 1783

How to Travel Upon Two Legs in a Frost, May 4, 1808. May 4, 1808
How to Travel Upon Two Legs in a Frost, May 4, 1808

Ministry of Pensions artificial limb factory at Thames Ditton. One of the workmen walking on one of the new legs in a thigh socket which is made of a very light composition. 25 October 1920

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"The Evolution of Artificial Legs: A Journey Through History" From the Shaker Peg Leg Stand created by Irving I. Smith in 1935 to the Cook leg designed by Henri Merke in 1799, artificial legs have come a long way. These remarkable inventions have not only provided mobility but also served as symbols of resilience and strength. In an era where disabilities were often stigmatized, individuals like the beggar with a wooden leg depicted in Jan Georg van Vliet's painting from 1632 defied societal expectations. They curtsied and hobbled off with grace, proving that physical limitations did not define their worth or abilities. Artists throughout history captured these moments of triumph over adversity. Jacques Callot's poignant depiction of a cripple with crutch and wooden leg in 1622 reminds us that even centuries ago, people found ways to adapt and overcome challenges. Fast forward to more recent times, we see war veterans receiving smallpox vaccinations while wearing their prosthetic limbs. The sacrifices they made for their countries are evident as they continue to navigate life with courage and determination. However, it is crucial to remember that they are not just objects; they represent stories of resilience and survival. In Le Pele-Mele's illustration from 1906 titled "Les malins unipieds, " we witness the spirit of those who refuse to let their circumstances define them. Yet amidst this journey through history lies a somber reminder – landmines take lives indiscriminately. The image depicting "The land mine is murder" serves as a stark warning about the devastating consequences these hidden weapons can inflict on innocent lives. As technology advances further, so does our ability to create more functional and lifelike prosthetics. But beyond mere functionality lies compassion – understanding that behind every artificial leg stands an individual whose spirit cannot be confined by physical limitations. So let us celebrate the ingenuity of creators like Irving I.