author
William Anderson
1842–1900
A Victorian surgeon with an artist’s eye, he helped open British audiences to the richness of Japanese art. His books combined careful scholarship with a strong visual sense, making unfamiliar traditions feel vivid and accessible.
1 Audiobook
The deformities of the fingers and toes
by William Anderson
About the author
Born in London in 1842, William Anderson trained in medicine but also studied art, a rare combination that shaped the rest of his career. He worked in Japan in the 1870s as a medical teacher, and his time there sparked a deep interest in Japanese painting, prints, and visual culture.
After returning to Britain, he became known both as a surgeon and as an important interpreter of Japanese art. He served as professor of anatomy at the Royal Academy and wrote influential books on Japanese and Chinese painting, drawing on the same close observation that marked his medical work.
Anderson also built and donated major collections, helping museums and readers in Britain encounter East Asian art with greater seriousness and curiosity. He died in 1900, but his writing still reflects a remarkable meeting of science, art, and cross-cultural discovery.