Photograph by Ed Pollard, Hasselblad H4D50 - 2018.

Strong partial contraction of the large zygomatic muscle in a young woman; on the right, false laugh (Contraction forte et partielle du grand zygomatique chez une jeune femme: à droite, rire faux),

Artist Adrien Tournachon (Nadar jeune) (French, 1825 - 1903)

Artist Dr. Guillaume Benjamin Duchenne (French, 1806 - 1875)

CultureFrench

Dateca. 1854

MediumAlbumen print from a glass negative

DimensionsOverall, Image: 9 3/16 × 6 15/16 in. (23.3 × 17.6 cm)
16 1/8 × 10 13/16 in. (41 × 27.5 cm)

PortfolioFigure 35 from the series Mechanism of Human Physiognomy (Mécanisme de la physionomie humaine)

Credit LineMuseum purchase, in memory of Alice R. and Sol B. Frank

Object number2018.7.2

On View

Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 228

DescriptionThis photograph is an albumen print that depicts a woman with medical devices touching her face. The medical device is being used to manipulate the muscles in the human face to provide a unique facial expression.
Label TextAdrien Tournachon [Nadar jeune] French, 1825–1903 Guillaume Benjamin Duchenne de Boulogne French, 1806–1875 Strong partial contraction of the large zygomatic muscle in a young woman;on her right, false smile, ca. 1854 negative, from the book Duchenne de Boulogne, Mécanisme de la physionomie humaine, 1862 Albumen print from collodion negative Dr. Duchenne de Boulogne was an early adapter of electricity to moderate the effects of muscular degeneration, paralysis, and pain. His therapies led him to investigate the muscles involved in facial expressions to aid physicians and artists, the latter of whom had difficulty representing fleeting passions. De Boulogne hired Adrien Tournachon, who was known for his short exposures in direct sunlight that avoided the frozen faces typical of studio portraits, to record his results. The subsequent book, published in 1862, was recognized as a landmark application of photography to medicine. Museum purchase, Horace W. Goldsmith and Art Purchase Funds 2018.7.2 Exhibition History"New Frames of Reference: Early French Photographers at Home and Abroad," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va, gallery 228, September 5, 2024 - February 16, 2025. "5 Years of Photography: Building the Chrysler Collection," Photography & Focus Galleries, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, June 26 - November 10, 2019.Published Referencesfrom Duchenne de Boulogne, Mécanisme de la physionomie humaine (Paris: Vve. Jules Renouard,1862)