About Faces

Physiognomy in Nineteenth-Century Britain

Sharrona Pearl

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Hardback

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English

Harvard University Press
25 February 2010

British & Irish history; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900; Social discrimination; Ethnic studies; Palmistry, phrenology & physiognomy

When nineteenth-century Londoners looked at each other, what did they see, and how did they want to be seen? Sharrona Pearl reveals the way that physiognomy, the study of facial features and their relationship to character, shaped the way that people understood one another and presented themselves.

Physiognomy was initially a practice used to get information about others, but soon became a way to self-consciously give information-on stage, in print, in images, in research, and especially on the street. Moving through a wide range of media, Pearl shows how physiognomical notions rested on instinct and honed a kind of shared subjectivity. She looks at the stakes for framing physiognomy-a practice with a long history-as a science in the nineteenth century.

By showing how physiognomy gave people permission to judge others, Pearl holds up a mirror both to Victorian times and our own.

By: Sharrona Pearl
Imprint: Harvard University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 28mm
Weight: 544g
ISBN: 9780674036048
ISBN 10: 0674036042
Pages: 302
Publication Date: 25 February 2010
Audience: Professional and scholarly , General/trade , Undergraduate , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

* List of Figures * Acknowledgments * Introduction: Face Facts * Pocket Physiognomy: Sense in the City * Performing Physiognomy: Imitating Art and Life * Portrait Physiognomy: Communicating Character * Caricature Physiognomy: Imaging Communities * Photographic Physiognomy: Through a Mediated Mirror * Diagnostic Physiognomy: From Phrenology to Fingerprints * Conclusion: Seeing Ourselves * Notes * Index

Sharrona Pearl is Assistant Professor of Communication at the Annenberg School for Communication of the University of Pennsylvania.

Reviews for About Faces: Physiognomy in Nineteenth-Century Britain

Although this book is clearly a cultural history of Victorian Britain, the resonances of physiognomy with current preoccupations and events are poignant. With pervasive concerns about the alleged invisible threats in our midst, any technology or idea, old or new, that promises to reveal those threats tends to carry weight. As Pearl rightly concludes, the promise of establishing reliable links between appearance and underlying reality was played for high stakes--and still is. -- Alan Collins Times Higher Education Supplement 20100415 Pearl's book is a brilliant and original contribution to the history of visual culture. It bodes well for the career of a young scholar whose questions are difficult and whose answers are compelling. -- Sander L. Gilman Bulletin of the History of Medicine 20110101