Experimental Self-Portraits in Early French Photography

This book explores a range of experimental self-portraits made in France between 1840 and 1870, including remarkable images by Hippolyte Bayard, Nadar, Duchenne de Boulogne, and Countess de Castiglione.

Jillian Lerner teaches art history at Emily Carr University of Art and Design.

Introduction 1. The drowned inventor: Bayard, Daguerre, and the curious attractions of early photography 2. The artist as brand: The many faces and signatures of Nadar 3. Poses of a living statue: Countess de Castiglione and the photographic tableau 4. Affect as evidence: Dr. Duchenne and the scientific self-portrait