Sost. Edmond. 30 ans, né à Serqueux (Seine-Inférieure) le 15/11/64. Ciseleur. Anarchiste. 1/7/94. 1894

Alphonse Bertillon created this albumen silver print, "Sost. Edmond," in 1894. The subject, neatly centered, presents himself with a gaze that meets our own. His directness is framed by the structured, almost clinical composition. The photograph, with its muted sepia tones, gains much of its meaning from the precise arrangement of elements within the frame. The subject's face, with its meticulously groomed beard and mustache, is strikingly contrasted by the rough texture of his work clothes. The mugshot disrupts traditional portraiture by employing a grid-like structure that flattens depth, emphasizing the surface as a field of information. Bertillon’s strategic use of the photographic medium to objectively document and classify individuals challenges our notions of identity and representation. This work destabilizes established meanings and categories of the individual, inviting ongoing interpretation.