Faces expressing the passions and showing the muscles relation to expression, with an explanation of the art of 'pathognomy', the reading of facial expression. Etching, c. 1800.

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35055i
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Faces expressing the passions and showing the muscles relation to expression, with an explanation of the art of 'pathognomy', the reading of facial expression. Etching, c. 1800. Wellcome Collection. Public Domain Mark. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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Description

The central top figures are analysed in the text according to their most pronounced muscles; the left-hand face shows scorn and the central one shows a fleshiness of muscle exhibiting a tendency to indolence and laughter. The profiles to the far left and right are of Voltaire and Samuel Johnson respectively. The central image is a face showing "the muscles as they appear after the skin is taken off". The bottom row shows a lion and a horse on each side, and two faces borrowed from Charles Le Brun's 'Passions': admiration and joy with tranquility. The bottom image of a dog is marked with letters, relating to the muscles of the face

Publication/Creation

Pimlico : W. Byam

Physical description

1 print : etching

Lettering

Explanation of pathognomy, or the signs of the passions. ... Lettering continues: "Pathognomy includes, not only the expression given to the face by the violent action of certain muscles in the moment of excitement, but also a general conformity at all times suiting the exhibition of particular passions, by a strength and mobility of some muscles; a smoothing or swelling of others; by their sinking & contraction; by their appearance and imperceptibility, and by their inundation ..." [continues extensively]

Reference

Wellcome Collection 35055i

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