Four framed ink head studies: grimacing man, smiling woman in bonnet, frowning man, old woman in fur hat.

Four physiognomies

Four ink head studies, numbered 13 to 16 and framed in a grid: a broad-faced man with curly hair grimacing, a smiling woman in a bonnet, a frowning man in a close cap, and an elderly woman in a fur-trimmed hat. Drawn in pen and ink with light hatching, the exaggerated expressions suggest eighteenth-century physiognomic studies.

Artist: Johann Kaspar Lavater
Date: c. 1789
Medium: Ink drawings Drawings
Source: Wellcome Collection
Size: 3711 × 4000 px

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Public domain · Wellcome Collection marks it Public Domain Mark; made by 1794.
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

18th century caricature ink drawing pen and ink physiognomy head study elderly woman facial expression lavater character study portrait sketch grimace