Axial Commons Image Treasury
Black and white lithograph of a man holding a skull and touching a seated girl's head as a woman in a bonnet looks on, with busts and skulls on shelves.

Phrenologist Examining a Girl's Skull While Her Mother Watches

A lithograph shows a bearded man in dark ddress holding a skull while touching the head of a seated young girl in a pale gown. A woman in a black dress and bonnet stands at left, and busts and skulls line the shelves behind them. The fine hatched lines give the scene a soft, grey tonal quality.

Artist
Debacq, Charles-Alexandre, 1804-1853.
Date
1800-1899
Medium
Lithographs
Source
Wellcome Collection
Size
2839 × 4000 px
Download full size
Public domain · Wellcome Collection marks it Public Domain Mark; made by 1899.
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: Public Domain Mark (Wellcome Collection)

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): Wellcome Collection

More from Vanitas and Memento Mori

VanitasVanitasA green Tibetan demon (?) holding a skull cup and a vajra in its hand. Gouache painting by a Tibetan artist.A green Tibetan demon (?) holding a skull cup and a vajra in its hand. Gouache painting bySt JeromeSt JeromeA clock dial on which a skeleton holds an oil lamp. Drawing by Caleb Elwin, 1800.A clock dial on which a skeleton holds an oil lamp. Drawing by Caleb Elwin, 1800.Man trekt loten uit twee globes en reikt ze uit aan twee machtige mannenMan trekt loten uit twee globes en reikt ze uit aan twee machtige mannenThe dance of death: the apothecary. Coloured aquatint after T. Rowlandson, 1816.The dance of death: the apothecary. Coloured aquatint after T. Rowlandson, 1816.