Lennart Nilsson, Drama of Life Before Birth, 1965

Lennart Nilsson, Drama of Life Before Birth, 1965

The photograph of an 18-week-old human fetus appeared on the cover of LIFE magazine on April 30, 

1965. It was taken by Swedish photographer Lennart Nilsson, among other images detailing the stages 

of human reproduction from fertilization onwards. The photographs are visually breathtaking, detailed 

and in full color. 

According to the biography on his website, Nilsson began as a photojournalist around the mid-1940s. 

After publishing several photo essays, in 1953 Nilsson brought a few photos of the human embryo with 

him to New York. Nilsson was then encouraged to document the “origins of man,” thus the article in 

LIFE magazine was published. Nilsson also had a book titled “A Child is Born,” published during the 

same year (1965). In the following years, Nilsson had a few more stories published in LIFE, including 

one on the heart and heart attacks, and the brain. 

Once the photographs were released, many people questioned how Nilsson could have possibly 

captured such images. To take these photographs, Nilsson experimented with thin endoscopes and 

macro-lenses which allowed for detailed images that captured even the blood vessels of the fetuses and 

embryos. Magnification was made possible by scanning electron microscope technology. 

Although many were awestruck by these powerful images, others had their doubts. Many people were 

led to believe that all of the fetuses and embryos in Nilsson’s photographs were taken in utero, by the 

article in LIFE, which insisted the fetus was living. In reality, a majority of the fetuses and embryos had 

been aborted, or failed to live much longer after the photographs were taken. The aborted embryos and 

fetuses gave Nilsson the opportunity to find the best lighting and positions, including placing the thumb 

of one fetus in its mouth. The posing of the fetuses in Nilsson's images can be compared to the staging of other famous photographs, yet it didn't seem to be his intention to create the notion that the fetuses were alive at the moment the photos were taken. 

Almost immediately after the publication of Nilsson’s LIFE photo essay, his images were being used by 

many anti-abortion/pro-life groups everywhere. Activists were using these images to champion a cause, 

refusing to believe the actual status of the fetus in the photographs. In an article about Nilsson on 

LifeSiteNews.com, President of American Life League Judie Brown states, “...a picture is worth lives, 

untold numbers of lives, because those pictures humanize the child in utero.” Continuing to use 

Nilsson’s photographs, even if the pro-life groups know that they are most likely aborted fetuses and 

embryos only makes sense because the images are so powerful. 

While gaining support and praise from pro-life groups, Nilsson’s photographs also paved the way for 

advanced ultrasound technology. This includes the 3D and 4D ultrasound images available today, 

which allows the parent(s) to have a realistic, moving picture of the child in the womb. While the war 

between pro-life and pro-choice groups continues, and despite the controversy behind Nilsson's 

photographs, there is no denying the effect they have had on the lives of many, and today's technology.