Ever wondered where the character of the crazy scientist originates? Most people immediately think of Albert Einstein with his dishevelled appearance, unkempt hair and wildly overgrown moustache. But there is a rich history of eccentric scientists who have, what Bill Bryson calls ‘A Tendency to Peculiarity’. In his book ‘A short history of nearly everything’, he takes great delight in describing many of these pivotal but extremely strange boffins.

Inspired by Bryson’s colourful descriptions I created seven illustrated portraits – Isaac Newton, Carl von Linné, Reverend William Buckland, Richard Owen, Henry Cavendish, John Scott Haldane and JBS Haldane. Each one is simply rendered and hopefully captures something of the essence of each scientist. The title typography ‘A Tendency to Peculiarity’ is inspired by American wood type display specimens from the nineteenth century.