Physiognomy Physiognomy Physiognomy (from the Greek φύσις "physis" meaning "nature" and "gnomon" meaning "judge" or "interpreter") is a practice of assessing a person's character or personality from their outer appearance—especially the face. It is often linked to racial and sexual stereotyping. The term can also refer to the general appearance of a person, object, or terrain without reference to its implied characteristics—as in the physiognomy of an individual plant (see plant life-form) or of a plant community (see vegetation). Credence of such study has varied. The practice was well accepted by the ancient Greek philosophers, but fell into disrepute in the
Physiognomy the romantic novelist Amelia Opie, and the travelogue author George Borrow. Physiognomy is a central, implicit assumption underlying the plot of Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray". In 19th-century American literature, physiognomy figures prominently in the short stories of Edgar Allan Poe. Phrenology, also considered a form of physiognomy, was created around 1800 by German physician Franz Joseph Gall and Johann Spurzheim, and was widely popular in the 19th century in Europe and the United States. In the U.S., physician James W. Redfield published his "Comparative Physiognomy" in 1852, illustrating with 330 engravings the "Resemblances between Men and Animals".