Vier portretten van twee criminelen, met en zonder baard before 1891

Here, we have four portraits of two criminals, with and without beards, by an anonymous artist. These images likely come from a time when photography was increasingly being used for documentation and surveillance, particularly within the criminal justice system. The subjects are presented in a way that is meant to be objective, but the act of capturing and categorizing individuals based on their alleged crimes raises important questions about identity and power. The presence or absence of a beard becomes a superficial marker. Yet, it speaks to how identities can be constructed and manipulated. It makes me think about the social and political implications that underpin such images, and how they perpetuate ideas about criminality and otherness. How do these historical images resonate with contemporary debates around surveillance, profiling, and representation?