1939 Dickinson-Belskie Birth Series Wall Sculpture In Utero - Abram Belskie

Description

This very large antique sculpture is made out of a ceramic, somewhat chalky material with fibers mixed in. Contains small chips, a crack as shown in photo 10 and some small touch ups in the paint.
Measures nearly 34" in diameter and weighs roughly 45-55lbs.
Information and photos depicting this series of sculptures can be found in the essay at the following link
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1010&context=womenstudiespapers
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Created in 1939 by Dr. Robert L. Dickinson (obstetrician-gynecologist and leader of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America) and sculptor Abram Belskie, they illustrate the process of human development from fertilization through delivery. First displayed at the 1939?1940 World?s Fair in New York City, they were reproduced in a variety of forms and sent out across the United States and overseas. Hardly a brief fad, their popularity persisted into the 1980s. This essay has four purposes. First, it tells the stories of Dickinson and Belskie to appreciate their contributions as artists to twentieth-century medical knowledge. Second, it demonstrates that the sculptures serve as the missing link in the rise of modern twentieth-century visions of pregnancy, decades before Lennart Nilsson?s much-heralded photographs in Life magazine in the 1960s. Third, it assesses the uniqueness of the visual story the Birth Series told, in that it depicted in utero development as a romantic tale that began with the union of sperm and egg and unfolded to reveal the birth of a precious child?imagery that would later become the hallmarks of the modern pro-life movement. Fourth, it addresses the conundrum of Dickinson?s intent. A deeply religious man, Dickinson hardly intended to make a visual case against abortion. Rather, he believed firmly in the necessity of its practice, not despite his religious views but because of them. He then set out to make the religious case for contraception and abortion."