Is the best-looking face one in a million, or a million in one?
In 1877, scientists stacked the mugshots of men convicted of various crimes into a single photograph, hoping the camera would reveal the true face of crime. Instead, the scars faded, the crooked features straightened, and the blended man came out looking very different than expected.
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Images: Francis Galton composite portraits, Wellcome Collection. Newcastle City Gaol photographs, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums. Study: Langlois & Roggman, "Attractive Faces Are Only Average," Psychological Science, 1990.
