Phrenology Bust
A.L. Vago, London: 1872
Approved by Fowler & Wells, New York
Plaster with applied lacquer and paper labels
8.25 inches high
$1,500
Phrenology Bust
A.L. Vago, London: 1872
A.L. Vago, London: 1872
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A plaster bust with a number of printed paper labels applied to the head listing the mental faculties, and coated with applied lacquer. The titled label applied to the front reads "Phrenology Each side of the head has the same organs. Approved by Fowler & Wells, New York", the reverse is stamped "Published 1872 A.L.Vago 114 Gray's Inn Road London" with paper label applied advertising " Orthodox Phrenology a second edition illustrated book."
The "science" of phrenology was introduced by J.F. Gall (1758-1828) and became the leading 19th-century science of the mind. Assisted by diagrams and three-dimensional models such as this one, phrenologists believed they could divine character traits and intellectual aptitudes by examining the convexities on the surface of the head.
Condition: Generally very good with the usual overall toning and wear. Paper labels darkened, some lacking.