Figure 63: Expression of terror

Art Historical Context

In the mid-19th century, neurologist Guillaume-Benjamin-Amandenne de Boulogne the study of human emotions through pioneering photographic experiments. Collaborating with photographer Adrien Tournachonbrother of the famed Nadar), Duchenne captured authentic facial expressions by applying mild electrical currents to facial muscles, isolating "pure" emotions unmarred by conscious posing. *Figure 63: Expression Terror* (1854–56, printed 1862) exemplifies this: an oval-profile view of a man's face contorted in raw fear, eyes wide and mouth agape, revealing the involuntary twitch of terror. Printed as an albumen silver print from a glass negative—a crisp, richly toned early photographic process—this image hails from Duchenne's seminal album *Mécanisme de la physionomie humaine* (1862). Its scientific rigor bridged medicine and art, influencing Charles Darwin's *The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals* (1872) and later psychologists. Technically innovative, the photograph's precise detail and dramatic lighting highlight muscular mechanics, turning clinical study into haunting visual poetry. Today, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, this work invites us to ponder the universality of fear—etched in flesh and captured forever in silver salts—reminding visitors how 19th-century science laid groundwork for modern neuroscience and expressive arts.

About the Artist

Guillaume-Benjamin-Amand Duchenne de Boulogne|Adrien Tournachon (French|French) · 1806 |1825 –1875 |1903

French, 1806–1875|French, 1825–1903