Artwork Page for Figure 7: Étude du méchanisme et de l'expression du muscle frontal chez un vieillard: à droit, attention; à gauche, repos

Details / Information for Figure 7: Étude du méchanisme et de l'expression du muscle frontal chez un vieillard: à droit, attention; à gauche, repos

Series Title: Mécanisme de la physionomie humaine

Figure 7: Étude du méchanisme et de l'expression du muscle frontal chez un vieillard: à droit, attention; à gauche, repos

c. 1856, printed 1862

Guillaume-Benjamin-Amand Duchenne (de Boulogne)

(French, 1806–1875)

Adrien Tournachon

(French, 1825–1903)
Culture
Medium
Albumen print from glass plate negative
Measurements
Image: 16.2 x 11.9 cm (6 3/8 x 4 11/16 in.); Paper: 23.5 x 17.9 cm (9 1/4 x 7 1/16 in.); Mounted: 41.2 x 27.4 cm (16 1/4 x 10 13/16 in.)
Credit Line
Severance and Greta Millikin Trust 2018.8
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

Duchenne, a neurologist at a hospital for the poor in Paris, turned to photography to record the grammar of human expression.

Description

Duchenne embarked on the first scientific, systematic exploration of the physiology of human facial expression and hoped, through photographs of his experiments, to teach artists how to portray those emotions. The experiments were performed by applying electrical stimulation to a single muscle on one side of the face, so that the viewer could clearly see the impact of the muscular contraction.
A vertical oval albumen print depicts an older man from the chest up. A hand enters from the left, pressing a metal probe into his forehead. The electrode forces deep, rhythmic creases above a raised eyebrow and wide eye, contrasting with the slack features and downturned mouth on the right. He wears a light, draped garment with heavy folds. A dark background centers the portrait, highlighting the textures of his distorted face.

Figure 7: Étude du méchanisme et de l'expression du muscle frontal chez un vieillard: à droit, attention; à gauche, repos

c. 1856, printed 1862

Guillaume-Benjamin-Amand Duchenne (de Boulogne), Adrien Tournachon

(French, 1806–1875), (French, 1825–1903)

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