The Museum's most popular device was the Psycograph, an antique phrenology
machine.
Phrenology,
created by Austrian physician
Franz Joseph
Gall, was the 'in theory' of the 19th century for determining personality.
According to phrenology, different parts of the brain were "organs" controlling
various character traits. If your head is bigger in an area, you have more
of that trait. But if it's flat, there's nothing in there!
The Psycograph was patented in 1905
by Henry Lavery of Superior WI.
His first machine with 1,900 parts didn't
work!
Above: Original Patent for The Psycograph by Henry Lavery
A quarter century later, still building phrenology machines, Mr. Lavery
recruited Mr. Frank P. White as an investor and began doing business as the Psycograph Company in the Builders Exchange,
Minneapolis MN.
The psycographs
were a novelty device featured in department stores and theatre lobbies during
the Great Depression . The Psycograph Company operated from 1929-1937.
Left: Phrenology in the 1990's at the Museum of Questionable Devices.
Above right: Woman and phrenologist from Psycograph advertisement, ca.
1932.
"You Ought to Have Your Head Examined"
That's our motto! Over the years at our Riverplace and St. Anthony Main locations, several hundren thousand museum visitors got their heads 'examined' in Henry
Lavery's antique phrenology machines.
(To view more photos of the museum at its Riverplace and St. Anthony Main locations CLICK HERE!)
The head piece, which looks like a
metal basket measures the head at 32 points per a five-point scale ranging
from "Deficient" to "Very Superior."
The data is sent to a printing mechanism which block prints individualized "readings" on a paper tape telling all about ones personality.
Everyone who received a Psycograph reading
was also given a vocational chart to help choose the right career path. Examples of which we have posted HERE.
A quarter century later, still building phrenology machines, Mr. Lavery
recruited Mr. Frank P. White as an investor and began doing business as the 
The data is sent to a printing mechanism which block prints individualized "readings" on a paper tape telling all about ones personality.
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