Portret van Franz Joseph Gall 1841

Albert Christoph Reindel created this print of Franz Joseph Gall at an unknown date. The lithograph depicts Gall in profile, above symbolic items relating to his field of study. Gall was a controversial figure. A neuroanatomist and physiologist, he was the founder of phrenology. This is the study of the skull’s shape as indicative of a person’s character and mental capacity. Though now discredited as pseudoscience, phrenology was a popular movement in the 19th century. Reindel’s print, featuring a skull and butterfly, acts as a memorial to Gall's life and work. Prints such as this one circulated widely. They helped to disseminate knowledge and fuel debates on science. In this period, scientists and philosophers argued about the relationship between mind and body. The print also speaks to how scientific ideas gain authority and social traction. Further research into the popular science of the period, and the institutions that supported it, would help us better understand this image.