ATHENAEUM
219

Lettering is formed by reverse glass gold leaf gilding. The exact age of this window and the date of its removal are unknown; however, a 1923 photograph in the collections of the Athenaeum clearly shows the transom window in place over the front door. ]]> Broadside 184-? Nind ]]> Broadside 184-? Phren ]]>
Phrenology is based on the belief that certain delineated areas of the brain are responsible for different functions, and that an individual’s personality and character can be ascertained by studying the corresponding bumps and indentations on the person’s skull. The theory was developed by German physician Franz Joseph Gallin in the 1790s, and further advanced by his assistant Johann Gaspar Spurzheim. Phrenology faced skepticism from the scientific community, but enjoyed immense popularity with the American public throughout the 19th century. Today, phrenology is regarded as a pseudoscience. ]]> ]]>
Phrenology is based on the belief that certain delineated areas of the brain are responsible for different functions, and that an individual’s personality and character can be ascertained by studying the corresponding bumps and indentations on the person’s skull. The theory was developed by German physician Franz Joseph Gallin in the 1790s, and further advanced by his assistant Johann Gaspar Spurzheim. Phrenology faced skepticism from the scientific community, but enjoyed immense popularity with the American public throughout the 19th century. Today, phrenology is regarded as a pseudoscience.
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French sculptor Jean Antoine Houdon was well known for portrait busts of public figures of the late 18th century. Houdon sculpted Benjamin Franklin’s likeness during Franklin’s tenure as American minister to France from 1776 to 1785. While only two marble versions of the bust are known to exist (one at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the other at the Metropolitan Museum of Art), Houdon also produced plaster versions such as this one in response to the public’s fascination with the popular American statesman.
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Note: From the time he was born in 63 BCE until 44 BCE, he is generally referred to by historians as Octavius. After 44 BCE, when he became the adopted son and heir of his recently-assassinated great-uncle Julius Caesar, he is known as Octavian. Beginning in 26 BCE, he is known as Augustus, the name conferred upon him by the Roman Senate. (See also 1966.01.01.)]]> ]]> ]]> ]]> ]]>