| This rare Phrenology inkstand, usually attributed to the Norton factory in Burlington, VT ca 1855, is the item on the right in the pictures here, the contemporary reproduction is the item on the left. The most obvious difference is the scroll work on the front of the base, which says,"By F. Bridges Phrenologist" under the glaze in the original, and no words on the front of the reproduction, which on the bottom is marked,"Creswell, Oregon USA - Breukelen The Netherlands" and has "AUTHENICTIC MODELS" in an elliptical annulus centered on a mythological image.
The bottom of the reproduction is unglazed and the markings are removable; the original is glazed on the bottom with no markings. One may also see differences in the details of the "maps" on the heads, most notable being that the original has numbers marked for most of the zones (a "3" forms a pupil for the left eye in the pictures); none are marked with numbers in the reproduction. Note also that the details of the paint are different between the two. The interior of the reproduction is not glazed or vitrified, so will eventually leak if used to retain fluids. The original is vitrified in the interior of the reservoir.
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Reproduction and Original: Front View
Reproduction and Original: Side View
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