The nose is a primordial element in the facial recognition among the human species. This privileged place, confirmed by experimental psychology, finds a professional application in the creation of the photofit. The physiognomonist drift, that flourished during the last century, lacked a scientific basis and gradually gave way. On the other hand, it is interesting to observe the artist's representations of the nose: except for the realistis school the nose is upsetting. It is therefore either stereotyped or deleted. As for the caricaturist, he illustrates the nose shamelessly. This representation is certainly related to the symbolic force of the nasal appendage, not only a vector of diverse and variable odours but also a passage for the spirit and to the heart. The nose is therefore a significative element of relation, of contact and of expression.