This article reassesses a well-known series of 1892 photographs of poet Paul Verlaine "at home" (drinking absinthe in a Parisian cafe), orchestrated by celebrity photographer Dornac (Paul Cardon). Recently discovered documents provide insights into the role played by the poet himself in what would now be called a "photo shoot." Verlaine participated in the choice of location, the poses, the proofs, and the dissemination of the photographs themselves, thus dispelling the commonly held notion that he was exploited by a muckraking photographer. The article further argues for the importance of Verlaine's dissolute image for his poetic legacy while questioning the role the cultivation of public personas played for other writers who agreed to pose for "at home" celebrity portraits.