Keystone People

/ By / keystone, people, portraits / 2 minutes of reading

Keystone People Examples:

Here are some rare photographs of keystone people. These keystones feature a carved stone face of anonymous or famous people. Humanlike keystones are beautiful and functional, providing aesthetics and structural integrity.

A human keystone, face, and hands holding flowers, carved in stone. A keystone at the top of an archway, on the Sergeant's Inn building, Fleet Street, London, UK
A human keystone, found on the Sergeant’s Inn building, Fleet Street, London, UK.
Image source, via the Courtauld Institute, CC BY-NC 4.0

In architecture, the keystone is the wedge-shaped stone that locks all the other stones into position at the apex of an arch or vault, allowing it to bear weight.

A keystone, depicting a woman holding a bird, as found on the Sergeant’s Inn building, Fleet Street, London, UK.
Another keystone, this one depicting a woman holding a bird, as found on the Sergeant’s Inn building, Fleet Street, London, UK.
Image source, via the Courtauld Institute, CC BY-NC 4.0

The keystone is the topmost stone in the arch. Moreover, architectural keystones are sometimes decorated with carvings of people, animals, and other natural objects.

A keystone depicting a woman's head, as found at the Unilever House, New Bridge Street, London, UK.
An ornate keystone depicting a woman’s head, as found at the Unilever House, New Bridge Street, London, UK.
Image source, via the Courtauld Institute, CC BY-NC 4.0

The keystone at the top of this archway depicts Saint Ursula and her followers.
The keystone at the top of this archway depicts Saint Ursula and her followers. From Noord Holland, on the Begijnhof building, gateway off Kalverstraat in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Image source, via the Courtauld Institute, CC BY-NC 4.0

Keystone Species

In ecology, a keystone species is a species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance. Keystone species are ecosystem engineers, and their loss can have a cascading effect on the entire ecosystem. Beavers are keystone species in riparian ecosystems. They build dams, which create wetlands that provide habitat for a variety of other species. Coral reefs are another example of ecosystem engineers. They provide habitat for many species of marine life, and protect coastlines from erosion. According to many scientists, there are three types of keystone species: predators, ecosystem engineers, and mutualists.

Related Links and Resources

Scroll to Top