Physiognomy is the belief that fixed aspects of physical appearance are indicative of the qualities of a person. It was popular in the early 19th century as a purported means of identifying personal qualities and differences, but it had a mixed reception in mainstream science. By the beginning of the 20th century, inspection of individual differences using mental tests was emerging, and the tests were viewed as superior to systems based on physiognomy, phrenology, and anthropometry. After presenting a brief history of physiognomy, the author argues that despite the emergence of mental tests, speculations about relationships between physical appearance and psychological qualities continued to appear in works by Sir Francis Gallon, Alfred Binet, and Sir Cyril Burt. The article concludes with a consideration of the durability of speculations on physiognomy.I thank Susan Condor and Roger Smith for helpful comments on this article.