The Connections between Physiognomy, Gericault, and Systematic Racism.
During the late 1700s and early 1800s, physiognomy was on the rise as a basis for scientific study, which was later discredited after developments in medicine and science1. Physiognomy is a collection of beliefs that were mistakenly believed to be scientific but is incompatible with the scientific method. Theodore Gericault was a French painter of the Romantic period who was involved in portrait commissions for Dr. Georget, who ran an insane asylum and was a believer in physiognomy. Because this notion is based on the assumption of physical and outward appearance as moral indicators, it is possible that we find evidence of the practice of physiognomy in our world today although it is no longer practiced, the way our system functions still continues to use themes which stem from the pseudoscience’s ideas. Physiognomy is tied to Gericault and systematic racism, which led to the emergence of a type of racism that is embedded in the very system we exist in.
Physiognomy stemmed from the study of facial features for artists to determine ways for expression and to show emotion in the individuals displayed in the works of art. Johann Kaspar Lavater mentions that Charles Le Brun systematized a large array of facial expressions for the use of painters, drawers, sculptors, and other creatives (p.763)1. From this, ideas of outward and inward expression grew to become the basis for scientific studies. Lavater’s ‘physiognomy’ is a pseudo-science that claims to find personality traits and certain tendencies from physical attributes, where he scrutinized a range of cranial and facial classifications and attached characteristics to specific physical attributes. Lavater’s Physiognomische Fragmente (four volumes in 1775-8) was published with illustrated engravings and was a success, being translated into several other languages, and over 50 editions appeared by 1810 (p.763)1. Some illustrations taken from Essays on Physiognomy for the Promotion of Knowledge and the Love of Mankind show how a professional physiognomist might interpret certain facial features: for example, “In the nose of 3, he will perceive more taste and understanding than in the rest” and “The nose excepted, the first has nothing in common with the rest.” 2 Lavater goes on to explain that although there is a minuscule, hair of a d difference between image VIII and VII, a professional physiognomist will be able to find more nobility in one than the other1. This further describes the incredible amount of scrutiny towards anyone who deviated from the normal, noble, and proper look. The book stresses the importance and rarity of careful and accurate observation in the study of physiognomy, which places an exclusivity toward the individuals who are able to make predictions of character, personality, and traits from an individual’s physical appearance. Lavater explains from observing the last illustration of four Grecian profiles that, “The forehead of 2 will be found to possess a small superior degree of delicacy over that of 1; the forehead of 3 much inferior to 2, and the forehead of 4 still inferior to 3. The physiognomist will read more of affection in 4 than in 3, and something less of delicacy; and more voluptuousness, in 3 than in 4.” 1 This further shows the degree to which an extremely slight difference in appearance can translate into a great variance in the reading of personality and human tendencies. French painter Theodore Gericault was involved in the study of physiognomy during his life as an artist.
Gericault was interested in victims, outcasts, and deviants, which led him to be interested in the study of physiognomy. Gericault was commissioned by Dr. Georget to paint portraits of the inmates in his insane asylum, which they will then use as clinical devices to diagnose people with certain illnesses. The basis of this was the notion that there are normal and abnormal individuals. The latter fall into certain categories of facial structure and appearance, which if the clinic had images of this, they will be able to read a person’s character by the way someone looks. This idea that physiognomy presented that illness, deviance, and criminality, were things that a professional could read on a person’s face, and could be caught before anything bad happened. These notions are parallel to Wincklemann’s ideas that “We in the present have fallen from the greatness of the ancient greeks. We must get back to them.” Gericault felt connected to the inmates in ways that Dr. Georget couldn't understand. The artist was very attracted to the notion that these people were deviants and that he identified himself with them. He created paintings such as “Woman Suffering from Excessive Envy,” “Woman Suffering from Compulsive Gambling,” “Man Suffering from Kleptomania,” and “Man Suffering from Delusions of Military Grandeur.” The last painting can be compared to a painting of Napoleon Bonaparte. By comparing these two, we are able to see signifiers of a former military past and heroism, but in fact, he doesn't have that past. He’s pretending or he somehow is deluded into thinking he has it. Both Napoleon and the deluded man wear badges and all kinds of medals and things to suggest his military valor. Napoleon ruthlessly destroyed, laid waste to Europe, poisoned his own troops, killed Turkish prisoners of war, and brought France to the brink of disaster. In these ways, Gericault is questioning the normal and abnormal, and what is a deviant mind. He did not relate to the grand symbols of central authority, but he did Identify with the misunderstood outsiders.
This ties into incredibly racist ideas, such as the size of your nose or the displacement of your eyes indicated a deviation from what was assumed to be a Wincklemannian theoretically perfect face (an ancient Greek or Roman face), which informs systematic racism in the modern-day. Institutional racism, also known as systemic racism, is a type of racism that is established in society or an institution through rules and regulations. Discrimination in criminal justice, work, housing, health care, political power, and education are just some of the concerns that might arise. These ideologies are deeply rooted and integrated into the world we live in now that it has entangled with the very fiber that holds the system together. This posed an issue for racial profiling, judging people based on appearances and deciding on “the kind of person they are” by just “carefully observing,” giving people the authority to act on punishing these “deviant” looking people even though they didn’t do anything wrong. Kelly explains the difference between Systematic and systemic racism by explaining that “You are cleaning systematically—methodically, planfully, strategically. If you don’t have a system, you are just going about randomly and haphazardly. Systematic racism, if you were to use the phrase, would more closely resemble explicit racism. For instance, an employer (in gross violation of law) would engage in systematic discrimination if it refused to interview any person who applied for a job if they were Indigenous, for example.” 3 While, Systemic racism, “Also called institutional racism or structural racism, systemic racism is when racism is embedded into the very institutions and organizations of society, such that laws, rules, procedures, etc. are influenced by and perpetuate racism—and typically in ways that are invisible to the white dominant culture, which in many cases (as in the US) consists of white people.” 3 This leads to “Higher rates of arrest, imprisonment, and use of excessive and lethal force, lower rates of hiring compared to white candidates, lower wages than white people for the same work, twice the rate of infant mortality, and less access to educational, financial, housing, and healthcare resources.” 3 This shows how physiognomy ties into the very fiber of our society even though it is no longer practiced today. Traces of this pseudo-science is still present and is causing contemporary issues to persist.
These conclusions were based solely on facial structures/features that apparently say something about the individual’s character, traits, and tendencies. The practice of physiognomy is a sort of systematic racism which is based on assumptions based on physical appearance, while systemic racism is a more deeply rooted social problem that affects the structural system and these ideas are extensively ingrained in the societal structure3. This explains that the systematically racist ideas of physiognomy can lead to systemic racism ingrained in institutions and systems in place in our world now.
In conclusion, the practice of physiognomy started in the romantic period, which was regarded as concrete science, but was later known to be pseudo-science. Physiognomy is tied to Gericault and systematic racism, which led to the emergence of a type of racism that is embedded in the very system we exist in. Although Gericault did not have racist intentions, he practiced physiognomy in identifying deviants, criminals, and the mentally ill. The notions of physiognomy serve as a basis for racial profiling and systemic racism in modern-day society, which remains to be a problem to this day.
Footnotes
1 Charles Harrison, (Art in theory, 1648-1815 an anthology of changing ideas, 2012) 763-767
2 J.C. Lavater, Essays on physiognomy; for the promotion of knowledge and the love of mankind. (1800)
3 J. Kelly, Systematic vs. Systemic: There's A System To The Difference, (Dictionary.com, January 2021)
4 L.A. Vaught, Vaught's practical character reader. (Vaught-Rocine Pub. Co., 1907) 28-36
Bibliography
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Kelly, J. (2021, January 19). Systematic vs. Systemic: There's A System To The Difference. Dictionary.com. https://www.dictionary.com/e/systematic-vs-systemic/.
Kirkegaard, E. O. W. (2019, November 10). Physiognomy: a field ready for scientific revival. Clear Language, Clear Mind. https://emilkirkegaard.dk/en/2019/11/physiognomy-a-field-ready-for-scientific-revival/.
Lavater, J. C. (1800). Essays on physiognomy; for the promotion of knowledge and the love of mankind. Printed for G.G.J. & J. Robinson.
Pages, T. S. (2015, January 30). Physiognomy: Faces, Bodies, and the "Science" of Human Character - Sociological Images. Sociological Images Physiognomy Faces Bodies and the Science of Human Character Comments. https://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2015/01/30/helpful-guide-to-human-character/.
Vaught, L. A., & Vaught, E. H. (1907). Vaught's practical character reader. Vaught-Rocine Pub. Co.
What is Systemic Racism? [VIDEOS]. Race Forward. (2020, July 27). https://www.raceforward.org/videos/systemic-racism.