Phrenology Postcards

Phrenology Institute, London, Archive Department · 1910-01-01T00:00:00Z

This image is of 9 postcards of portraits of a variety of individuals consisting of men and women of many ages in black and white. They are from around 1910 and are taken from the Phrenology Institute in London. On the back of the postcards, there is a stamp that says "Victim" in black or "Murderer" in red. For the top section, from left to right, the stamps read: Murderer, Victim, Victim, Victim, Murderer. For the bottom, from left to right, they read: Victim, Murderer, Victim, Murderer. Based on the portrait, someone can guess if the person is a murderer or victim and find out the answer by flipping the card over. These postcards align with the concept of phrenology where people thought people's behaviors can be predicted by their physical appearance, such as the shape of their head.