Psychological Test, Rorschach Test
date: label: date made
content: ca 1940
name: label: maker
content: Rorschach, Hermann
notes: label: Description
content: The Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach (1884-1922) developed a series of ambiguous images of inkblots that were shown to subjects to evaluate their personality, intelligence, and emotional state. Rorschach died not long after he published his test in 1921, but it was brought to the United States by David Levy in 1924 and attracted the attention of several scholars. In 1939, the Rorschach Institute, distributor of this set of test materials, was established in New York, New York.
label: Description
content: Ten paper sheets are painted with the images of the Rorshach ink blot test. They were placed on cardboard and covered with celluloid. The celluloid layer decayed and was removed. In addition to the individual sheets one sheet shows all ten of the images. There are also three sheets of instructions and fragments of a fourth. All of these sheets were covered with celluloid which self-destructed and left them exceedingly brittle. Only a photocopy of a fifth sheet survives.
label: Description
content: A mark on the back of each individual drawing checked reads: Druck der Polygraphischen Gesellschaft Laupen-Bern. The sheet showing all ten drawings is marked: Published by (/) The Rorschach Institute (/) New York, N.Y.
label: Description
content: In addition to the sheets of drawings, there are equally if not more brittle ones entitled: Klopfer – Scoring Categories for Location of Responses. The German psychologist Bruno Klopfer emigrated to the United States in the 1930s and directed the Rorschach Institute from 1939 until 1947.
label: Description
content: For related materials, see 1983.0168.17.
label: Description
content: Reference:
label: Description
content: Buchanan, Roderick D. “Ink Blots or Profile Plots: The Rorschach versus the MMPI as the Right Tool for a Science-Based Profession.” Science, Technology, & Human Values, vol. 22, no. 2, 1997, pp. 168–206.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York, New York City
label: place made
content: Switzerland: Bern
topic: label: Subject
content: Psychology
label: Subject
content: Mathematics
label: Subject
content: Psychological Tests
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of David Shakow
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MA.316372.17
label: catalog number
content: 316372.17
label: accession number
content: 316372
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Psychological Test
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: ink (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2.5 cm x 31 cm x 25 cm; 31/32 in x 12 7/32 in x 9 27/32 in