Dr. Auguste Ambroise Tardieu Cdv By Pierre Petit, Vintage Albumen Print, Photograph

Portrait of Doctor Auguste Ambroise Tardieu (1818-1879) by Pierre Petit (1831-1909). Carte de Visite format, 5.5 x 9.2 cm. Original albumen print mounted on card. Pierre Lanith Petit (1831-1909) learned photographic techniques from Eugène Disdéri, the inventor of the carte de visite photograph. He was nicknamed "Collodion the Hairy." In 1859, he embarked on an ambitious project, a Gallery of Men of the Day, composed of portraits accompanied by biographical notes of prominent figures in entertainment, culture, and politics. Doctor Tardieu was a major figure in 19th-century French forensic medicine. He was a professor of forensic medicine at the Faculty of Medicine in Paris, a member of the National Academy of Medicine, and president of the advisory committee on public health. Tardieu is best known for his pioneering work on violence against children, particularly mistreatment and sexual abuse, which led him to be considered the first to scientifically describe the "beaten child syndrome" (also known as "Tardieu syndrome"). He also published studies on hanging, strangulation, suffocation, poisoning, and other forensic medicine topics. Zola drew inspiration from the scientific methods of his time, especially Tardieu's work. He used medical treatises to realistically depict illnesses and the human body in his novels. For example, the description of Pauline's illness in *La Joie de vivre* is based on a pathology manual by Tardieu. (link to the website: https://www.lavalisearlesienne.com/product-page/le-d-octeur-auguste-ambroise-tardieu-cdv-par-pierre-petit)