Abstract
In 1900 the German mathematician Max Brückner published a book with photographs of 146 amazing paper
polyhedron models. While containing little that was cutting-edge mathematically and not produced as fine art, the
photographs have had an enormous influence on mathematical art ever since. The artist M.C. Escher was
particularly influential in spreading Brückner's ideas. I argue that the import of the book can best be understood
by seeing it as a Wunderkammer—a cabinet of curiosities—that excited wonder in the reader. This paper
explores Brückner's work and its legacy from that perspective.
