Figure 54: Abaissement volontaire de la mâchoire inférieure: mouvement inexpressif
Guillaume-Benjamin-Amand Duchenne (de Boulogne) (French, 1806–1875)
c. 1856, printed 1862
Medium
Albumen print from glass plate negative
Dimensions
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Classification
Photograph
Department
Photography
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Severance and Greta Millikin Trust
Accession Number
2018.11
Tags
male
About this artwork
Duchenne described this model, a former shoemaker, as “an old, toothless man, with a thin face, whose features, without being absolutely ugly, approached ordinary triviality.” When criticized for using such an unattractive model, Duchenne held him up as proof that “every human face could become spiritually beautiful through the accurate rendering of his or her emotions.”