Figure 22: No painful expression 1854 - 1856

Editor: Here we have Guillaume Duchenne's "Figure 22: No painful expression," a gelatin silver print from sometime between 1854 and 1856. It's quite striking, this close-up of an older man's face. The intense shadows emphasize the lines etched into his skin, giving him a somewhat melancholic appearance, even with the title suggesting otherwise. What do you see in this piece, Professor? Curator: What I find fascinating is how Duchenne is attempting to map the landscape of emotion onto the human face. The photograph itself becomes a document, an almost clinical exploration. The probes near the subject’s eyebrow suggest external manipulation of these expressions and what the visual signifiers could tell us. How do you think cultural notions of "pain" at the time may have shaped this so-called lack of expression? Editor: That's an interesting point. Maybe the absence of a conventionally dramatic reaction was seen as stoicism, even strength, during that period? Do you think that plays into how we're meant to read the image now? Curator: Precisely! Think about how physiognomy was considered a legitimate science, believing that inner character was readable through facial features. Duchenne, influenced by this, seems to be dissecting expression into its components. It is no surprise, then, to know that Charles Darwin also used some of these photos as reference in his later, ground-breaking book. So is it art or scientific documentation? Editor: I see what you mean! It's like he's trying to create a visual lexicon of emotions, which is kind of eerie considering the probes stimulating the facial muscles. It's both scientific and artistic, blurring the lines between objective study and subjective interpretation. Thank you for pointing out these perspectives. Curator: And thank you for highlighting its continued relevance. The symbolic weight of the face remains a potent force in how we understand each other.