The Jeremy Bentham Cabinet
University College, London
In his will of 1832, Jeremy Bentham directed his friend Dr Southwood Smith to take charge of his body and have his skeleton "put together in such a manner as that the whole figure may be seated in a chair usually occupied by me when living, in the attitude in which I am sitting when engaged in thought in the course of time employed in writing." The skeleton, padded out with straw and cloth and clad in his own clothes, with a wax head, was placed in a cabinet and later given to University College. [Commentary continues below. Mouse over the text for links.]
Photographs and text by Jacqueline Banerjee.
Other Views
The resulting figure, close-ups pf which are shown above, was first housed in the anatomical museum of UCL, and eventually put on display in the South Cloisters. At first, Bentham's mummified head was kept at his feet, but it was later removed for safekeeping. On one occasion it was kidnapped by King's College students; a small sum was paid to charity to secure its return. Various other stories are told about its adventures over the years. When these photographs were taken Bentham still stood (or, rather, sat) in the South Cloisters of Univarsity College, but on 20 February 2020 he was relocated to his new position, in a new glass case, in the entrance to the Student Centre on Gordon Square.
Bibliography
Information seen on the door of the original cabinet in February 2007. See now: Auto-Icon. UCL. Web. 22 December 2020.
"Jeremy Bentham, 1748-1832." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Online edition. Web. 6 February 2007.
Last modified 22 December 2020