Here we have a rare and old lithograph poster covering the topics of Phrenology, Physiognomy, and Palmistry, courtesy of the French in the late 19th century. It is a covering a lot of content in a relatively small area of space, and the visuals are site to behold. Let's dive right into what's really going on in this 19th century relic.
Here's the description from the Wikipedia page on the lithograph:
The phrenology section includes cross sections of the brain, topographies of the faculties and text enumerating the faculties (according to Spurzheim's 1825 system) The physiognomy section includes a row of portraits showing historical figures enumerated in the list of subject headings below (mostly celebrated cultural figures, but including a military man (Kléber) and a thief (Cartouche) It also includes evaluations of the types of forehead, mouth, chin, eye and nose. The palmistry section shows figures of 15 hands, with a key. The text as a whole takes a sceptical view of all three sciences.
See the full page here.
The rare phrenology poster came out of a collector's estate in Sante Fe. It was produced by Encyclopedie Bouasse Lepel in France sometime in the late 1800s.
The framed lithograph measures about 30" wide by 23" tall. There is evidence of age and use throughout. In the upper left corner there is tear along the edge (see pic). There also are different levels of foxing happening throughout the piece, as well as a vertical fold mark at the center. None of it can take away the power of the poster. Please see all pics as they are part of the description.
I ship FedEx to street addresses in the continental USA only (no PO Boxes). Free shipping on the framed palmistry lithograph.
I can look at this beauty all day. If I could read it I'd never get anything done.
