The Mechanism of Human Facial Expression or an Electrophysiological
Analysis of the Expression of the Emotions
by Guillaume-Benjamin-Amand Duchenne
First published 1862
This work of Duchenne de Boulogne’s is a fascinating
interpretation of the ways in which the human face portrays emotions. This book
was pivotal in the development of psychology and physiology as it marked the
first time that photography had been used to illustrate, and therefore
"prove," a series of experiments. Duchenne initiated these pioneering
studies on the electrical stimulation of muscles, and was the first person to
identify microexpressions. His use of electricity as a physiological
investigation tool led this iconographic work which stands at the crossroads of
three major discoveries of the 19th century: electricity, physiology and
photography. This is best exemplified by his investigation of the mechanisms of
human physiognomy in which he used localized faradic stimulation to reproduce
various forms of human facial expression. Duchenne remarked that a person in
trying to remember something raises his eyebrows, as if to see it, and wrote of
joy being expressed with two muscles (zygomaticus major muscle and the
orbucularis oculi) contracting to produce a true smile. The ‘Duchenne smile’ is
one that engages these muscles. The original book contained over 100 original
photographic prints pasted into an accompanying Album.