Phrenology Chart, 14 January 1840–A
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Source Note
, “Measurements of the Head of Mr. Joseph Smith jr.,” Phrenology Chart, , Philadelphia Co., PA, [14 Jan. 1840]; printed form with manuscript additions probably in the handwriting of ; one page; JS Collection, CHL. Includes dockets.One leaf, measuring 7¾ × 3¼ inches (20 × 8 cm). A printed, decorative border encompasses the text. The document was folded twice horizontally and possibly several other times.JS apparently retained possession of this chart and brought it back to , Illinois, from by late February 1840. The document was docketed by , who began serving as a scribe to JS in 1843. It was cataloged by Church Historical Department staff in the JS Collection in 1973. The document’s docket and cataloging suggest it has remained in continuous institutional custody.
Footnotes
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1
Johnson, Register of the Joseph Smith Collection, 11.
Johnson, Jeffery O. Register of the Joseph Smith Collection in the Church Archives, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Historical Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1973.
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2
Jessee, “Writing of Joseph Smith’s History,” 456–458.
Jessee, Dean C. “The Writing of Joseph Smith’s History.” BYU Studies 11 (Summer 1971): 439–473.
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Historical Introduction
On 14 January 1840, JS visited phrenologist , who measured JS’s head and used the dimensions to create two different charts: one displaying the measurements of JS’s head and the other recording the numeric values of different character traits based upon those measurements. Phrenology was developed in Europe during the early nineteenth century by physicians Johan Spurzheim and Franz Joseph Gall. It was based on the theory that physical features—particularly bumps on the head and the shape of the eyes—could reveal and aid in understanding personality or character traits. Popularized in and during the 1810s, phrenology soon caught on in the , where enthusiasm for it peaked in the mid-1830s. Part of phrenology’s attraction lay in the notion that understanding one’s personality could help with self-improvement—the progressive social philosophy that men and women were born with varying sets of characteristics that they could identify, measure, and alter. Americans also amused themselves by comparing their own phrenological readings with those of friends and famous personalities.A phrenology reading consisted of two parts. First, the phrenologist measured the examinee’s head from a number of angles. Phrenologists believed that different regions of the brain, which they designated as individual “organs,” corresponded to particular characteristics of an individual’s personality and that the shape of the skull reflected the size of each phrenological organ. Second, the phrenologist assigned a numeric value to the character traits associated with each measurement. Different phrenologists apparently used their own numeric systems, making it difficult to fully assess the supposed implications of JS’s phrenology charts. had apparently ordered these printed charts from a local printer so that he needed to enter only the name of the person whose head he was “reading,” the resulting measurements, and the corresponding character values.The personality scores on the “DEVELOPMENTS” chart are consistent with the commonly used twenty-point scale found in Fowler’s Practical Phrenology—a contemporary phrenological handbook published in about the time JS was visiting that city. While JS did not score particularly low in any area, he scored especially high in “individuality” and a few other qualities of perception. No key to the twenty-point scale is included with these documents. It is possible that JS received a key that is no longer extant. It is also possible that made a key available at an additional cost and JS declined to purchase it. JS apparently retained and carried these charts while traveling in the eastern and brought them back to by late February 1840. Other members, including , made copies of both charts sometime after they were created. It is unclear what JS thought about phrenology at this time, though he later expressed negative opinions about it.
Footnotes
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1
Little is known about Woodward. He was practicing phrenology in Philadelphia as early as 1836. An 1839 directory of Philadelphia residents simply lists him as a phrenologist. (Advertisement, National Enquirer, and Constitutional Advocate of Universal Liberty [Philadelphia], 31 Dec. 1836, 67; A. M’Elroy’s Philadelphia Directory for 1839, 281.)
National Enquirer, and Constitutional Advocate of Universal Liberty. Philadelphia. 1836–1838.
A. M’Elroy’s Philadelphia Directory, for 1839: Containing the Names of the Inhabitants, Their Occupations, Places of Business, and Dwelling-Houses; Also a List of the Streets, Lanes, Alleys, &c.; the City Officers, Public Institutions, and Banks, besides Other Useful Information. Philadelphia: By the author, 1839.
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2
Butcher, “Clinical Personality Assessment,” 6.
Butcher, James N. “Clinical Personality Assessment: History, Evolution, Contemporary Models, and Practical Applications.” In Oxford Handbook of Personality Assessment, edited by James N. Butcher, 5–21. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
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3
John C. Warren, Charles Caldwell, and Johan Spurzheim were the most prominent promoters of phrenology in the United States during the 1820s and 1830s, each embarking on extended speaking tours. (Butcher, “Clinical Personality Assessment,” 6; Riegel, “Introduction of Phrenology to the United States,” 73–78; Colbert, Measure of Perfection, 8, 13–14.)
Butcher, James N. “Clinical Personality Assessment: History, Evolution, Contemporary Models, and Practical Applications.” In Oxford Handbook of Personality Assessment, edited by James N. Butcher, 5–21. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Riegel, Robert E. “The Introduction of Phrenology to the United States.” American Historical Review 39, no. 1 (Oct. 1933): 73–78.
Colbert, Charles. A Measure of Perfection: Phrenology and the Fine Arts in America. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1997.
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4
McLaren, “Phrenology: Medium and Message,” 88. Some phrenologists also touted their practice as an important tool in creating and explaining a taxonomy of human races. (Fowler and Fowler, Phrenology Proved, Illustrated, and Applied, 29–33.)
McLaren, Angus. “Phrenology: Medium and Message.” Journal of Modern History 46, no. 1 (Mar. 1974): 86–97.
Fowler, O. S., and L. N. Fowler. Phrenology Proved, Illustrated, and Applied, Accompanied by a Chart; Embracing an Analysis of the Primary, Mental Powers in Their Various Degrees of Development, the Phenomena Produced by Their Combined Activity and the Location of the Phrenological Organs in the Head: Together with a View of the Moral and Theological Bearing of the Science. 9th ed. Philadelphia: O. S. Fowler, 1840.
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5
Davies, Phrenology Fad and Science, 37–38.
Davies, John D. Phrenology Fad and Science: A 19th-Century American Crusade. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1955.
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6
Fowler and Fowler, Phrenology Proved, Illustrated, and Applied, 17.
Fowler, O. S., and L. N. Fowler. Phrenology Proved, Illustrated, and Applied, Accompanied by a Chart; Embracing an Analysis of the Primary, Mental Powers in Their Various Degrees of Development, the Phenomena Produced by Their Combined Activity and the Location of the Phrenological Organs in the Head: Together with a View of the Moral and Theological Bearing of the Science. 9th ed. Philadelphia: O. S. Fowler, 1840.
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7
Orson Fowler, the author of this handbook, also helped popularize phrenology in the United States. (See Davies, Phrenology Fad and Science, 37.)
Davies, John D. Phrenology Fad and Science: A 19th-Century American Crusade. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1955.
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8
Some phrenologists included an abbreviated key on the printed charts on which they recorded the examinees’ scores. (See, for example, A. Crane, “A Phrenological Chart,” Wasp, 2 July 1842, [2].)
The Wasp. Nauvoo, IL. Apr. 1842–Apr. 1843.
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9
John Smith, Journal, 1836–1840, 29 Feb. 1840, [58].
Smith, John (1781-1854). Journal, 1833–1841. John Smith, Papers, 1833-1854. CHL. MS 1326, box 1, fd. 1.
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10
“Measurement of Joseph Smiths Head according to Phrenology,” copy; “Chart of Joseph Smith by Dr. Woodward,” copy, JS Collection, CHL.
Smith, Joseph. Collection, 1827–1846. CHL. MS 155.
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11
See, for example, JS, Journal, 6 May and 14 Oct. 1843; and Clayton, Journal, 14 Oct. 1843.
Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.
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