Noses which are arched from their starting-point between the eyes show capability of command, energy and force of character. It will be remembered that the Duke of Wellington—the Iron Duke—had this sort of nose. Of course, this form in excess (as it certainly was in his case), without the characteristics of self-control and other good points in the face, would not have the same indication. A very prominent nose, like the beak of a parrot, with a narrow brow and retreating chin, would give stupid obstinacy; but, in an otherwise good physiognomy, a prominent nose gives force, command and productive energy.
It cannot, however, be denied that one sometimes comes upon noses which are rather small in proportion to the rest of the face and which are so devoid of arch as to be almost concave in their line when seen in profile, in persons of fairly good understanding; but such noses belong rather to those who appreciate, than to those who produce, works of literature and art. The people having these noses, provided the brows show some intellectuality, will be found to enjoy the beautiful influences of works of the imagination, but they themselves possess little or no creative power.
Straight noses give indications between these two extremes; they may belong to persons of the creative, or simply appreciative, order of mind. The form of the head and brow and the line of the eyebrows would determine to which class they especially belong. Arched noses with broad backs denote force of character. Swift and Napoleon Bonaparte had noses of this type. This sort of nose, with an arch starting from the root, is seen in almost all the busts of the Roman emperors; it is, in fact, frequently called the "Roman nose," and is very typical of the race which was for so many ages dominant in Europe; whilst the beautiful straight nose (which we are accustomed to call Grecian, because it is seen in almost all the antique statues) is quite as indicative of the perception of beauty in art and literature and of the subtlety of mind which distinguished the Greeks. The creative force in the antique straight nose is given by its proportion to the rest of the face, for it is always larger in proportion to the brow, cheeks and jaws than the strongly-arched broad-bridged nose which we call Roman, and thus it is indicative of quite as much productive force as the arched Roman nose, with infinitely more delicacy of perception; a small straight nose shorter than the forehead and set in a large round face, shows timidity and foolishness and is the nose of an unintelligent person.
High noses that are not broad-backed are often seen in the faces of men of letters, but a high thin-backed nose, which seems to start up in a sharp ridge when seen in profile, is more indicative of penetration and acuteness than force of mind. These noses have generally fine, sharp tips, with a downward curve; this is an indication of wit. Voltaire and Sterne had such noses; they are generally seen in combination with thin and flexible lips and a somewhat pointed chin. A nose which is bent downwards is also indicative of sadness of disposition, for it is one of the signatures of the melancholy planet Saturn; but wit may exist (in fact generally does so) with a somewhat sad temperament. Voltaire's wit is almost always cynical, and cynicism grows out of a want of hope, a want of belief in one's fellow-creatures; whilst in Sterne (the writer of the inimitable though now little-read work, Tristram Shandy) there is always, even in his brightest sallies, an under-current of pathetic sadness. People with this sort of nose are sarcastic, somewhat hypochondriacal and very often reserved and morose. If, with this form of nose, the nostrils are narrow and almost closed and the wings of the nose pinched, the indications are still more those given by the melancholy planet Saturn; the more elastic and freely moving the nostril with this form of nose, the more bright and the less sardonic the wit. A person with a broad Roman nose, having this violent downward curve over the mouth, is one to be avoided, for this combination denotes a secretly voluptuous temperament—a man or woman of strong passions hidden beneath a cold and reserved manner. Broad-backed fleshy noses, round and full at the tips, with intellectually good brows, show a genial temperament and a sense of humour. Without the good indications of the brow they would only show love of good cheer and a certain good-humoured carelessness.
Snub-noses—that is, noses short in proportion to the brow and with round fleshy tips—are indicative of commonplace, somewhat coarse natures, especially if the nostrils are round and the bridge of the nose very low between the eyes.
What is called a turned-up nose shows vivacity of temperament, jealousy, talkativeness, impudence (growing out of a certain amount of self-esteem) and petulance.
There is a sort of delicately turned-up nose which we often see in pretty women, and which, though it shows wilfulness and coquetry—things not uncommon in pretty women, since the song tells us—
"For oh! these charming women,
They all have wills of their own"—
is significant of delicate perceptions and a certain intuitive cleverness which is thoroughly feminine and, therefore, very attractive to men. These noses—which are especially the noses of charming women—are well raised at the root; in fact, have all the delicacy of line of a straight nose, except that the extreme tip has an upward curve. It must have been of one of these delicate and thoroughly feminine noses that Tennyson must have been thinking when he describes one of his heroines as having a nose—