Anon. (USA)

CONSTRAINT : mise en abyme.

INVENTION : portrait within a portrait (1850s).

WORKS : a daguerreotype of couple holding up a daguerreotype of their family (this 1st degree mise en abyme is now at the MOMA, NY). The next generation should have thought to have themselves ϕed holding this ϕ (and so on till kingdom come). Havelock ELLIS missed a great opportunity for mise en abyme when he had people ϕed at one year intervals. Numberless ϕers return to the scene of a ϕ (theirs or another’s) in order to have themselves ϕed holding up the previous ϕ. Libération published in their Album 1973-1993 ϕs of “Paris then” on top of which fall semi-transparent ϕs of “Paris now” taken on the same site.