Icono-photographique. Mécanisme de la Physionomie Humaine. Fig. 65 1854 - 1856

This photograph by Duchenne de Boulogne captures a face contorted by electrical probes—a stark vision of scientific inquiry from 19th century. Note the forced, unnatural expression. It reminds us of the ancient masks of tragedy, used in theater to amplify emotion. These masks, like the face here, are designed to evoke deep, subconscious responses in the viewer. Consider, too, the figure of Laocoön, whose agonized face, immortalized in marble, mirrors this subject's tormented expression. The mouth agape, the furrowed brow—these are symbols of suffering that resonate across millennia. These motifs echo through time, each reappearance layered with new meanings and cultural contexts. Duchenne’s photograph, though scientific in intent, taps into this primal well of human emotion, reminding us of the enduring power of images to elicit empathy and fear.