Bossant. Edmond, Léon. 52 ans, né à Valenciennes (Nord). Sans profession. Anarchiste. 27/4/94. 1894

Curator: Here we have a photograph from 1894, "Bossant. Edmond, Léon. 52 ans, né à Valenciennes (Nord). Sans profession. Anarchiste. 27/4/94," created by Alphonse Bertillon, part of the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's a gelatin-silver print. Editor: My first impression is one of stark formality, even in its subdued tones. The man's face is presented head-on, his gaze direct, all softened by the aged paper, and yet... there is this undercurrent of sadness? Curator: Indeed. This is not just a portrait; it's a mugshot, part of Bertillon's system of criminal identification. Consider the context: late 19th century France, a period of social unrest and anxieties about anarchist violence. Bertillon's system aimed to categorize and control individuals deemed threats to the social order. Editor: It's interesting how the photograph subverts its own purpose. Despite the objective, almost clinical approach implied, I'm struck by the soft gradations of light and shadow. Notice how the light catches his beard, framing the features, or his sad gaze which is really accentuated. Even the darks around the figure are pretty compelling. It's far from an anonymous record, to be sure. Curator: Precisely. This image occupies a space between scientific documentation and portraiture, making it deeply unsettling. The subject is labelled an anarchist, instantly villainized by society. And it wasn't enough for them to make it that way? A tool of social control masked as neutral technology? Editor: There’s something powerful in that visual tension. The controlled setting fights against the details. The uniform tone throughout the composition keeps the subject framed centrally. He is not smiling, even with his fashionable clothing... It forces me to contemplate the inner world of a man labelled an outsider, a rebel against authority. Curator: Ultimately, this photograph isn’t simply about a man named Edmond Bossant; it speaks to the power structures, that attempt to define and confine individuals within a rigid system. The fear of the other... and our ability to see humanity even within such a dehumanizing framework. Editor: Absolutely, and for me, that makes it a success both photographically and perhaps ironically as a study of character as well. The piece stays with you beyond the immediate visual experience.