A painting. Four children and two dolls, one white, the other black. The “Portrait of Emile Gaillard's Four Children” was painted in 1868 by French artist James Tissot. What is this black doll doing in a 19th-century painting? This doll does not appear in the title of the work or in its caption. How can we explain the silence surrounding this doll? Did no one notice it? What, or rather who, does it represent?

Louise Thurin and Seumboy Vrainom embark on an investigation to understand the symbolism of this little black doll that no one talks about. They are joined by three key contributors, each of whom brings their own unique perspective to unravel the threads of the painting. Together, they open up new avenues of understanding and reveal new and illuminating perspectives on this page of French history.