Abstract

This study provides an organic history of Émile Zola imagery, beginning with Manet's 1868 "Portrait de Zola" to Zola's own amateur photography at the turn of the century. Whether noting the emphasis of one detail or the marked absence of another, Manet's "Zola" was perceived as a caricature that provided a model of Zola as inherently un-French. Focusing on a 1900 photograph Zola took of Manet's portrait allows for an exploration of the interplay between the images that create public recognition and the legacy-desires of celebrity figures. Zola, the photographer, records himself as a traditional member of the haute-bourgeoisie, creating and collecting images that reinforce the healthy national body and destroying those that do not. (mbk)

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