Figure 62: Terror, semiprofile 1854 - 1856

This is “Figure 62: Terror, semiprofile” a photograph made by French neurologist Guillaume Duchenne. Duchenne was working in a historical moment fascinated with the pseudoscience of physiognomy—the idea that one could read character through the face. Duchenne stimulated facial muscles with electrical currents to isolate and record the mechanics of expressions. This image is part of his study of human emotion, in which he sought to define and categorize feelings through posed, often exaggerated, facial contortions. The subject of Duchenne’s experiments was an older man with a mask-like face, whose expressions Duchenne believed could be easily manipulated. While his research aimed for scientific objectivity, it also raises profound questions about power, control, and the manipulation of the human body. This image serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of scientific inquiry and the importance of ethical considerations in the pursuit of knowledge. It invites us to reflect on the ways in which emotions are performed, captured, and interpreted.