Life — December 6, 1917 — page 28: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a "phrenological chart"—a satirical take on phrenology, the pseudoscience claiming skull bumps revealed character traits. The image shows a profile head divided into numbered sections, each labeled with Christmas-related virtues (Humanity, Veneration, Love of Nature, Modesty, Imagination, Generosity, Compassion, Sympathy, Chivalry, Integrity, Love of Children). Inside each cranial section are small illustrated scenes depicting Christmas activities and traditions—gift-giving, caroling, family gatherings, charitable acts. The satire mocks phrenology while humorously suggesting that Christmas spirit activates all these noble human faculties simultaneously. It's a lighthearted commentary on Christmas's supposed moral elevation of human nature, presented through the framework of a then-discredited but still culturally familiar pseudoscience.