Photography as a Form of Taxidermy: Zoe Leonard’s Preserved Head of a Bearded Woman, Musée Orfila

In an obscure archive of the Musée d’Anatomie Delmas-Orfila-Rouvière (henceforth Musée Orfila) at Paris Descartes University, the taxidermied bust of a bearded woman sits in a bell jar. Her femininity is signaled by the earrings and lace collar she wears, which contrasts the masculinity of her features and the thick beard that covers her chin. Her skin is weathered and pale, but has been well preserved by an unknown method of mummification.