Figure 45: Contraction électrique forte des triangulaires des lèvres et des sourciliers: douleur et déspoir

Series Title: Mécanisme de la physionomie humaine

Figure 45: Contraction électrique forte des triangulaires des lèvres et des sourciliers: douleur et déspoir

c. 1856, printed 1862

Guillaume-Benjamin-Amand Duchenne (de Boulogne)

(French, 1806–1875)

Adrien Tournachon

(French, 1825–1903)

Culture

France, 19th century

Medium

Albumen print from glass plate negative

Measurements

Image: 23.5 x 17.9 cm (9 1/4 x 7 1/16 in.); Oval opening: 16.2 x 11.9 cm (6 3/8 x 4 11/16 in.); Mounted: 41.2 x 27.4 cm (16 1/4 x 10 13/16 in.)

Credit Line

John L. Severance Fund 2018.7

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Location

Not on view

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.