Phrenology Bust of a Girl

(Front view) Object prior to conservation treatment. Plaster cast bust of a girl with phrenological markings on the side of the cranial (on the right side of the image). The surface is painted a dark yellow brown, some of the white plaster is visible in areas of damage. Paper label attached with string around the neck reading “Dr Elliotson’s Daughters”.

Identification

  • Object Type: Plaster cast phrenology bust
  • Date: 1824
  • Origin: Edinburgh
  • Owner: The McManus Museum
  • Maker: O’Neil and Son
  • Measurements: 
    • Height: 30.5 cm
    • Width (ear to ear) 14.9 cm
    • Depth of profile: 18.5 cm
  • Materials: Plaster of Paris, unknown coatings, the outer decorative layer is oil paint. Lead and arsenic content in decorative layers.

Summary

This object is a plaster cast phrenology bust of a “Girl” (inscribed on the front), manufactured by O’Neil and Son, 1st October 1824 in Edinburgh (inscribed on the back). Phrenology is a pseudoscience that studies the contours of the cranium (the skull) as an indication of character and mental capacity (e.g., intelligence). The markings on the cranial of the bust refer to these identified areas. Literature searches suggest that this cast is depicting the “ideal” shape of a girl’s head.  

The label attached reads “Dr Elliotson’s Daughters”. Curiously, Dr Elliotson was the founder of the London Phrenological Society, rivals of the Edinburgh Phrenological Society. The label was written on the back of a card from the Dundee Watt Institution Festival, dated 19th January 1849, so the label is not original, but still significant for the history of the object. The Dundee Watt Institution was an educational institution for adult workers that provided lectures on a range of different topics, including Phrenology.

Several coatings have been applied to the plaster, all of which contain high contents of lead. The decorative layer appears to be oil paint; plaster casts were often painted to give them the appearance of a bronze statue.  

Behind the Scenes

(Front view) Object prior to conservation treatment. Plaster cast bust of a girl with phrenological markings on the side of the cranial (on the right side of the image). The surface is painted a dark yellow brown, some of the white plaster is visible in areas of damage. Paper label attached with string around the neck reading “Dr Elliotson’s Daughters”.
Phrenology bust prior to conservation treatment.
(facing left) Object prior to conservation treatment. Plaster cast bust of a girl, with phrenological markings on the side of the cranial. The surface is a dark yellow brown. Large area of the cranial missing, revealing the white plaster interior.
Side profile, prior to conservation treatment.
Close up of phrenological markings on the side of the cranial (on the right side of the image), prior to conservation treatment.
Close-up of the phrenology markings.
Close up of the markings on the back, reading “Pub by O Neil & Son Edin 1 Oct 1824”. Prior to conservation treatment.
Close-up of the inscription on the back.
(Front view) Plaster cast bust of a girl with phrenological markings on the side of the cranial (on the right side of the image). The surface is painted a dark yellow ochre, some of the white plaster is visible in areas of damage. The image is divided line directly down the middle of the face: the right side showing the object prior to treatment and the left side after conservation treatment. The object after treatment has a lighter and brighter yellow ochre surface.
Before (right) and after (left) conservation treatment.

The conservator who treated this object is Rogue, click on the profile to learn more.

Note: All images were taken by the conservator unless stated otherwise.

Rogue, a white woman in her early 20s with mid-length dark hair. She is smiling, look to the left with one arm lifted partly across her body. She is wearing a dark knitted jumper and large pendant necklace. The photo is in black and white.

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