Calves' Heads and Brains, or A Phrenological Lecture

Calves' Heads and Brains, or A Phrenological Lecture

Phrenology

Alken, Henry Thomas, 1784-1851

Satires (document genre)

Prints (visual works)

Even in the first years of its popularity during the early nineteenth century, phrenology was a source of amusement to many and became a target for a number of satiric artists of the day, such as George Cruikshank, the "Phiz" illustrator of Charles Dickens' works. Note, particularly, the negative qualities of slyness, pride, and suspicion and the busts of Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828) and Johann Gaspar Spurzheim (1776-1832) on the floor. In the lower right-hand corner can be discerned the supposed names of the artist, J. Lump, and the engraver, L. Bump, but the print is attributed to Henry Thomas Alken (1785-1851), a popular sporting illustrator of the early 19th century

Early nineteenth century satirical illustration of a phrenological lecture, attributed to Henry Thomas Alken, featuring busts of Gall and Spurzheim

Alken, Henry Thomas, 1784-1851

Published for the Artist

1826

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Acc. 1982-1983/m/25. SA.L02.09 (framed)

image

1 print

still image

Purchased for the Boston Medical Library through the Mark David Altschule Fund for Prints and Graphics, 1983