The relationship between the inward self and the body has been widely examined in early modern studies, particularly through the lens of humoralism—the makeup and effects of a person’s four humours. I want to redirect attention toward a largely overlooked discourse that likewise reveals a great deal about early modern understandings of the relationship between the body and inward selfhood—that of physiognomy, the practice of discerning character through the body, particularly the face. I suggest that by exploring early modern physiognomic practice, we can see the emergence of both the concept of character and the Cartesian separation of body and mind.