Ellipse Collection

Solar System According to Ptolemy, Copernicus and Tycho, Geocentric Model, Heliocentric Model

Orbit of Sputnik 1, Soviet 1957 diagram
Orbit of Sputnik 1. Diagram showing the Earth orbits possible for different spacecrafts. Sputnik 1, the first spacecraft ever to reach Earth orbit, was launched on 4 October 1957 by the Soviet Union

Thyme leaf oil gland. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of part of the leaf surface of the herb thyme, Thymus vulgaris, showing an oil gland

Galen, portrait
Galen (Claudius Galenus c130 - 201 AD) Greek physician who moved to Rome and became physician to three emperors. Engraving published Paris, 1866

A selection of Renaissance jewellery including a gold chain, an oval amethyst cameo and two reliquary pendants, c
1766467 A selection of Renaissance jewellery including a gold chain, an oval amethyst cameo and two reliquary pendants, c

Julia Pastrana, Mexican bearded woman (1834 - 1860)
2603720 Julia Pastrana, Mexican bearded woman (1834 - 1860); (add.info.: Julia Pastrana the Mexican bearded woman (1834 - 1860)

Portrait of Alexander II. 19th century (engraving)
672798 Portrait of Alexander II. 19th century (engraving); Universal History Archive/UIG.

Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow, architect
672759 Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow, architect; (add.info.: Longfellow - engraving Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow Jr (18 August 1854, Portland, Maine - 16 February 1934)

Edward Hitchcock (1793-1864)
863366 Edward Hitchcock (1793-1864); (add.info.: Edward Hitchcock (1793-1864), American geologist who was the third President of Amherst College (1845-1854)

Portrait of Charles V Wise (1338-80) (engraving)
863587 Portrait of Charles V Wise (1338-80) (engraving); (add.info.: Charles V, the Wise (1338-80) king of France from 1364

Alexander II (1818-1881) Tsar of Russia from 1855
863479 Alexander II (1818-1881) Tsar of Russia from 1855; (add.info.: Alexander II (1818-1881) Tsar of Russia from 1855. Known as 'The Liberator', he emancipated the serfs in 1861

Napoleon Bonaparte, 1810 (engraving)
2601258 Napoleon Bonaparte, 1810 (engraving); Universal History Archive/UIG.

Portrait of Henry Bessemer, 1880 (engraving)
863908 Portrait of Henry Bessemer, 1880 (engraving); (add.info.: Henry Bessemer (1813-1893) English engineer, inventor and industrialist

Portrait of Thomas Bazeley, 1880 (engraving)
863907 Portrait of Thomas Bazeley, 1880 (engraving); (add.info.: Thomas Bazeley (1797-1885) English cotton manufacturer, merchant and politician. A member of the Anti-Cornlaw League

Portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven
865124 Portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven; (add.info.: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) German composer, a bridge between the Classical and Romantic styles. Beethoven at the age of 31

Frederick III of Saxony
864185 Frederick III of Saxony; (add.info.: Frederick III of Saxony, The Wise (c1463-1525) Patron of Martin Luther and supporter of the Protestant Reformation

Portrait of Charles Haddon Spurgeon
863581 Portrait of Charles Haddon Spurgeon; (add.info.: Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) English popular Baptist preacher, born at Kelvedon, Essex

Portrait of Princess Charlotte of Wales, 1817 (engraving)
863528 Portrait of Princess Charlotte of Wales, 1817 (engraving); (add.info.: Princess Charlotte of Wales (1796-1817) only child of George IV of Great Britain and Caroline of Brunswick

Abdul Hamid II (1842-1918) last Sultan of Turkey
863478 Abdul Hamid II (1842-1918) last Sultan of Turkey; (add.info.: Abdul Hamid II (1842-1918) last Sultan of Turkey (1876-1909). Called the Great Assassin; despotic ruler; deposed and exiled 1909

Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822-1893)
863473 Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822-1893); (add.info.: Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822-1893) American Republican statesman, 19th President of the USA (1877-1881)

Portrait of Alvan Clark
673274 Portrait of Alvan Clark; (add.info.: Alvan Clark (8 March 1804 - 19 August 1887), born in Ashfield, Massachusetts, the descendant of a Cape Cod whaling family of English ancestry

Frederick Schomberg, 1st Duke of Schomber, 17th century (engraving)
672763 Frederick Schomberg, 1st Duke of Schomber, 17th century (engraving); Universal History Archive/UIG.

Sir Charles Reed, politician
672737 Sir Charles Reed, politician; (add.info.: Sir Charles Reed (19 June 1819 - 25 March 1881) was a British politician who served as Member of Parliament for Hackney and St Ives

African woman with white skin due to lack of Melanin
2603709 African woman with white skin due to lack of Melanin; (add.info.: African woman with white skin due to lack of Melanin. Her child which is on her lap has normal pigmentation)

Prince Alexander Michaelovich Gorchakov
863582 Prince Alexander Michaelovich Gorchakov; (add.info.: Prince Alexander Michaelovich Gorchakov (1798-1883) Russian statesman and diplomat

(William)
863353 (William); (add.info.: (William) Wilkie Collins (1824-1889), English novelist. Author of sensation novels of mystery and suspense including "The Woman in White" (1860)

Samuel Plimsoll (1824-1898)
864818 Samuel Plimsoll (1824-1898); (add.info.: Samuel Plimsoll (1824-1898) English politician and social reformer born at Bristol, called the sailor's friend

Francis Crossley, philanthropist
672736 Francis Crossley, philanthropist; (add.info.: Francis Crossley - Tinted lithograph Sir Francis Crossley, 1st Baronet, of Halifax (Halifax, 26 October 1817 - 5 January 1872)

Frederick III and Empress, Princess Victoria
672701 Frederick III and Empress, Princess Victoria; (add.info.: Frederick III and Empress, Frederick III (German Kaiser, 18 October 1831 - 15 June 1888)

Portrait of G.W.F. Charles
864220 Portrait of G.W.F. Charles; (add.info.: George William Frederick Charles, 2nd Duke of Cambridge (1819-1904); English soldier; cousin of Queen Victoria; field-marshal; commander-in-chief of

Portrait of Nikoloa Pavlovich Ignatiev
863583 Portrait of Nikoloa Pavlovich Ignatiev; (add.info.: Nikoloa Pavlovich Ignatiev (1832-1908) Russian soldier, diplomat and statesman, champion of pan-Slavism

Portrait of Matthew Flinders
863875 Portrait of Matthew Flinders; (add.info.: Matthew Flinders (1774-1814) English naval officer, hydrographer and explorer. Surveyed coast of New South Wales (1795-1800)

William Cranch Bond (1789-1859)
863385 William Cranch Bond (1789-1859); (add.info.: William Cranch Bond (1789-1859), American astronomer born in Falmouth (now Portland), Maine

Portrait Of Young Girl, end of 19th century/beg of 20th century (photo)
540043 Portrait Of Young Girl, end of 19th century/beg of 20th century (photo); Omniphoto/UIG.

Portrait of Bartle Frere
863580 Portrait of Bartle Frere; (add.info.: (Henry) Bartle (Edward) Frere (1815-84) British colonial administrator, born at Clydach, Breckonshire, Wales. Governor of Bombay (Mumbai) 1862-1867

Portrait of Mrs Piozzi, Hester Lynch Thrale, 1786 (engraving)
863527 Portrait of Mrs Piozzi, Hester Lynch Thrale, 1786 (engraving); (add.info.: Mrs Piozzi. Hester Lynch Thrale (born Hester Lynch Salusbury 1741-1821) British diarist and author

Ebenezer Evans (1799-1863)
863363 Ebenezer Evans (1799-1863); (add.info.: Ebenezer Evans (1799-1863), American physician, mineralogist and geologist. Engraving, 1896.); Universal History Archive/UIG.

Portrait of Henry Morton Stanley (1840-1904)
864588 Portrait of Henry Morton Stanley (1840-1904); (add.info.: Henry Morton Stanley (1840-1904) born John Rowlands at Denbigh, Wales, Welsh-born American journalist and explorer

Portrait of David Livingstone
864587 Portrait of David Livingstone; (add.info.: David Livingstone (1830-1873) Scottish missionary and explorer of Africa

Portrait of Thomas Gray
864180 Portrait of Thomas Gray; (add.info.: Thomas Gray (1716-1771) English poet and classical scholar. Engraving, London, 1837.); Universal History Archive/UIG.

Portrait of T.A. Conrad
673266 Portrait of T.A. Conrad; (add.info.: Timothy Abbott Conrad (21 June 1803 in Trenton, New Jersey - 9 August 1877 in Trenton) was an American geologist

Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow, architect
672760 Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow, architect; (add.info.: Longfellow - engraving Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow Jr (18 August 1854, Portland, Maine - 16 February 1934)

Frank Ellis Boynton, botanist
672744 Frank Ellis Boynton, botanist; (add.info.: Frank Ellis Boynton (10 July 1859 - 10 December 1942) was a self-taught American botanist active in the Southeastern United States

John Bright (1811-1889)
864819 John Bright (1811-1889); (add.info.: John Bright (1811-1889) British radical orator and statesman, born in Rochdale, Lancashire of Quaker parents

William Bowyer Younger (1699 - 1777)
2603688 William Bowyer Younger (1699 - 1777); (add.info.: William Bowyer the Younger (1699 - 1777) known as 'The Learned Printer, prominent English printer and author

Don John (Juan) of Austria (1547-1578) (engraving)
864403 Don John (Juan) of Austria (1547-1578) (engraving); (add.info.: Don John (Juan) of Austria (1547-1578) Spanish military commander, illegitimate son of Charles V

Portrait of Lewis Edward Nolan (1820-1854)
863913 Portrait of Lewis Edward Nolan (1820-1854); (add.info.: Lewis Edward Nolan (1820?-1854) English soldier; captain of Hussars and writer on cavalry

Portrait of Charles VII Victorious (engraving)
863588 Portrait of Charles VII Victorious (engraving); (add.info.: Charles VII the Victorious (1403-1461) king of France from 1422. Crowned in 1429 after the French victory at Patay

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"Exploring the Ellipse: From Ancient Astronomy to Modern Art" In the realm of astronomy, the concept of an ellipse has sparked centuries-long debates and revolutions in our understanding of the Solar System. Ptolemy's Geocentric Model placed Earth at its center, with celestial bodies moving along perfect circles. However, Copernicus challenged this notion by proposing a Heliocentric Model, where planets revolve around the Sun in elliptical paths. One significant milestone in space exploration was Sputnik 1's orbit diagram. This Soviet satellite marked humanity's first foray into outer space and showcased how an ellipse could be utilized for interstellar travel. Beyond science, they can also be found in nature. Take a thyme leaf oil gland as an example; its shape perfectly embodies this geometric curve. Even ancient physicians like Galen recognized such patterns and incorporated them into their medical practices. The artistic world has embraced ellipses too. Henry Burton's engraving captures intricate details using this elegant shape while San Vigilio's oil painting on oval canvas showcases how artists experiment with different canvases to create unique compositions. Even political figures have been associated with ellipses throughout history. Cardinal Richelieu, renowned French Prime Minister during Louis XIII’s reign, employed strategic thinking that often followed elliptical paths to achieve his goals. Ellipses have even made their way into recreational activities like ice skating during the 19th century when skaters gracefully traced these curves on frozen ponds and rinks. From historical figures like William III and George II King of Great Britain to Charles V The Wise, King Of France - all were connected through time by their influence over nations' destinies following elliptical trajectories of power struggles and diplomacy. Lastly, let us not forget one iconic figure who shaped modern democracy – George Washington himself. As America’s first President, he navigated uncharted territory while leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire generations, just like the elliptical paths he followed.