Artist/Maker
Unidentified artist
Artist/Maker
Fowler & Wells
(1838–ca. 1946)
Depicted
Silas Wright Jr.
(American, 1795 – 1847)
Silas Wright Jr. (1795–1847)
mid-19th century
Painted and overpainted plaster
Overall: 12 1/4 x 7 1/2 x 9 in. ( 31.1 x 19 x 22.9 cm )
Purchase
1946.370
This cast was part of the Phrenological Museum of Fowler & Wells, which opened in New York City in 1842. Brothers Orson Squire Fowler (1809-1887) and Lorenzo Niles Fowler (1811-1896) and their business associate Samuel Roberts Wells (1820-1875) were noted phrenologists who read heads to understand the subject's "temperament." Their Phrenological Cabinet displaying casts, skulls, and charts became a popular fixture in the city.
MarkingsPaper label inside: "Silas Wright head 26 - 88"
InscribedInscribed in interior in pencil and crayon: "Silas Wright" [name written twice]; inscribed in blue ink: "171" [written twice]
ClassificationsSCULPTURE
