Summary

Glass lantern slide of photographs of two male heads in profile.

One of a set of over 420 lantern slides, used by lecturer Walter S. Binks, a popular psychology and vocational guidance lecturer based in Melbourne, Victoria. Binks gave lectures throughout Australia in the 1930s and 1940s. Binks advertised his lectures as associated with the Australasian Opportunity League or Universal Opportunity League. Binks used the slides to suggest relationships between physiognomy and personality.

Binks reproduced these two profiles in his book, The Golden Key, or The New Science of Analysing Character (Melbourne, 1923), as examples of a convex and concave profile. The profile on the left is labelled 'Is this man convex or concave: better suited for practical work or theoretical work?' The profile on the right is labelled 'Is this man a flier or a plpodder, quick or slow?' Binks believed that a concave profile indicated only a moderate capacity for thought and action, while a convex profile indicated a person quick to think and act.

Purchased by the donor at an opportunity shop. The collection was stored in three wooden trays (two compartments in each tray), and 95 slides stored separately. Many of the slides were produced in Melbourne from images and cuttings presumably supplied by Binks.

Description of Content

Two black and white images of two men in profile.

Physical Description

Standard format (3 1/4 x 3 1/4 inch square) lantern slide.

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