One of the leading figures of the Surrealist movement was undoubtedly Man Ray, who was known primarily as a fashion and portrait photographer. In a contrary manner to painting, photography was very much rooted in the ‘real’ world, and as a result it was up to the artist to modify their creations into becoming a surrealist work of art - such is the case with Jean Cocteau. This photograph depicts Cocteau examining one of his self-portraits, with the shadows being cast onto his face, almost creating a second mask. The piece is printed as a carte postale and is accompanied by text in the lower margin, adding to its poetic and futile nature, very much on par with the spirit of Surrealism.