Portrait multiple de Marcel Duchamp (Five-Way Portrait of Marcel Duchamp), Gelatin silver print, 1917
“The five-way picture, made by sitting in front of a hinged mirror, had gained popularity by the late nineteenth century and was commonly found in photography studios and at amusement parks. Duchamp transformed a mechanical picture into a self-portrait that embodied his view of identity as fractured and unstable. It prefigures his creation of various alter egos, such as Rrose Sélavy. The picture was made on June 21, 1917, at the Broadway Photo Studio at the same time that Duchamp was photographed with Francis Picabia and Beatrice Wood.”
