Beauty: Illustrated Chiefly by an Analysis and Classificatin of Beauty in Woman

The author presents a systematic, philosophically grounded examination of beauty with emphasis on female appearance, arguing that aesthetic judgments relate to anatomical and physiological structures and cultural standards. Chapters define beauty's elements across objects and beings, propose a standard of taste, and classify female beauty into three systems—locomotive, nutritive, and mental—each with varieties, proportions, expressions, and common defects. Discussion treats the face, combinations of types, classical ideals, and moral and practical cautions, and offers methods for inferring figure, temperament, habits, and age from external signs. Appendices consider picturesque qualities, laughter, and responses to pity.