Empire of Skulls

An absorbing tale of science and showmanship, ideology and enterprise, that provides not just a fascinating history of our country, but also crucial insight into the deep currents that continue to propel modern life During the contentious and progressive antebellum era, the Fowler family preached a gospel of self-improvement to a nation eager to embrace its foundational beliefs. For the first time, this new “science” of phrenology offered all Americans the ability to improve their station by unlocking their innate mental and emotional truths. Revered politicians, quirky celebrities, infamous criminals, and social outcasts all found their way to the Fowlers for skull readings. Brimming with the energy to change the world, the Fowlers connected phrenology to practically every aspect of life in the young nation—from abolition to women’s rights, temperance to prison reform, spiritualism and mesmerism to vegetarianism and sexual education. But there was a dark side to this fad and to the Fowlers, and soon nefarious forces co-opted this once-hopeful sensation to justify racism and xenophobia. Phrenology’s complex history stands as a commentary on the dreams and follies of the American republic. Though phrenology (and the Fowlers) ran afoul of the tide of history, its aspirational insistence on an individual’s ability to improve oneself became embedded in the fabric of the nation. Year after year, the Fowlers: Delivered lectures from Maine to the Great Plains Performed hundreds of thousands of hands-on character examinations Created a wildly popular tourist attraction, the Phrenological Cabinet, in New York City Established a preeminent publishing firm, Fowlers and Wells And they examined the heads of the full range of humans—pirates, murderers, rapists, thieves, prisoners, and the insane, as well as presidents, statesmen, inventors, activists, writers, artists, and, most importantly, ordinary Americans These efforts led first to a profitable business, then to a cultural movement, and finally to an empire of influence—one built on the promises and perils of human skulls. Though their names are seldom remembered today, this entertaining and absorbing read shows how their empire reshaped American life at a pivotal time in the nation’s history.