"Bless Me, What a Bump!" (1826) participates in a larger tradition of phrenological satire, both poking fun at the pseudo-science's claim to infallible analysis of the subject and revealing the extent of its popularity. The image’s non-professional characters and setting stress phrenology’s use as a putatively scientific tool allowing non-expert members of the middle class to examine each other as a form of entertainment and a way to acquire knowledge.