Everything about William Herbert Sheldon totally explained
William Herbert Sheldon (
November 19,
1898 –
September 17,
1977) was an
American psychologist and
numismatist.
Biography
Born in
Warwick, Rhode Island, Sheldon distinguished himself in both fields; in psychology, Sheldon pioneered the use of
anthropometry in the development of his categories of
somatotypes, and in numismatics, Sheldon authored
Penny Whimsy, the first work to extensively catalog the varieties of
early American large cents. He also developed the "Sheldon scale" that graded coins on a numeric basis from 1 to 70
(External Link
).
Through the use of many photographs and measurements of nude figures (mainly
Ivy League students), Sheldon assigned people into three categories of
body types in the 1940s:
endomorphic,
mesomorphic, and
ectomorphic. He also assigned personality traits to the body types as well. Endomorphics had fat, soft, and round body types, and their personality was described as relaxed, fond of eating, and sociable. Mesomorphics were muscular, rectangular, strong, and personality-wise were filled with energy, courage, and assertive tendencies. Ectomorphics were thin, long, fragile, as well as brainy, artistic, and introverted; they'd think about life, rather than consuming it or acting on it.
Most psychologists no longer accept the validity of somatotype theory, and later revelations that Sheldon used his access to the
American Numismatic Society's large cent collection to engage in theft
(External Link) have called his role in numismatic history into question. Nonetheless, his "Sheldon scale" for coin grading is still standard today among American numismatists. He died in
Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1977.
Publications
- William H. Sheldon, The varieties of human physique: An introduction to constitutional psychology (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1940).
- William H. Sheldon, Atlas of Men. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1954.
Further Information
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