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Why do we measure mankind? : marketing anthropometry in late-Victorian Britain
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Smith, Elise (2020) Why do we measure mankind? : marketing anthropometry in late-Victorian Britain. History of Science, 58 (2). pp. 142-165. doi:10.1177/0073275319842977 ISSN 0073-2753 .
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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/0073275319842977
Abstract
In the late nineteenth century, British anthropometrists attempted to normalize the practice of measuring bodies as they sought to collate data about the health and racial makeup of their fellow citizens. As the country’s leading anthropometrists, Francis Galton and Charles Roberts worked to overcome suspicion about their motives and tried to establish the value of recording physical dimensions from their subjects’ perspective. For Galton, the father of the eugenics movement, the attainment of objective self-knowledge figured alongside the ranking of one’s physique and faculties against established norms. The competitive tests at Galton’s anthropometric laboratory were meant to help subjects identify their strengths and weaknesses, ultimately revealing their level of eugenic fitness. Roberts, on the other hand, saw the particular value of anthropometric data in informing economic and social policy, but capitalized on parents’ interest in their children’s growth rates to encourage regular monitoring of their physical development. While both Galton and Roberts hoped that individuals would ultimately furnish experts with their anthropometric data to analyze, they both understood that the public would need to have explained the practical purposes of such studies and to familiarize themselves with their methods. This article argues that while anthropometry did not become a fully domestic practice in this period, it became a more visible one, paving the way for individuals to take an interest in metrical evaluations of their bodies in the coming years.
| Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||||
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| Subjects: | G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GN Anthropology | ||||||||
| Divisions: | Faculty of Arts > History | ||||||||
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Anthropometry -- Great Britain -- 19th century, Galton, Francis, 1822-1911, Roberts, Charles, -1901 December 31, Eugenics | ||||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | History of Science | ||||||||
| Publisher: | Science History Publications Ltd. | ||||||||
| ISSN: | 0073-2753 | ||||||||
| Official Date: | 1 July 2020 | ||||||||
| Dates: |
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| Volume: | 58 | ||||||||
| Number: | 2 | ||||||||
| Page Range: | pp. 142-165 | ||||||||
| DOI: | 10.1177/0073275319842977 | ||||||||
| Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||||
| Publication Status: | Published | ||||||||
| Reuse Statement (publisher, data, author rights): | Smith E. “Why do we measure mankind?” Marketing anthropometry in late-Victorian Britain. History of Science. 2020;58(2):142-165. doi:10.1177/0073275319842977 Copyright ©2019 The Author. Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications. DOI: 10.1177/0073275319842977 | ||||||||
| Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access | ||||||||
| Date of first compliant deposit: | 19 March 2019 | ||||||||
| Date of first compliant Open Access: | 25 March 2019 | ||||||||
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