On the Presence and Absence of the Person in Psychometrics: The Circulation of Psychometric Instruments in 1920s São Paulo

ABSTRACT In this study we examine the circulation of instruments, tests, and images related to psychometrics in 1920s São Paulo. From a list of instruments described and evaluated by the Brazilian engineer and polytechnic professor José Octávio Monteiro de Camargo, we identified a significant international market for German psychometric instruments that have been applied in Brazil. The analysis of advertising and didactic images depicting these instruments, as well as the human gestural interaction found in some of them have enabled us to identify the uses and appropriations of psychometric technology required for scientific legitimization around the globe.