Bocquet. Alexandre, Émile. 17 ans, né à Paris XVlle. Menuisier. Vol. Fiché le 14/4/94. 1894

This is a photograph of Alexandre Émile Bocquet, made in 1894 by Alphonse Bertillon. Bertillon was a French criminologist who pioneered the use of anthropometry—the measurement of the human body—for identification purposes. Bocquet, a 17-year-old carpenter, is documented here after being arrested for theft. The photograph is stark; Bocquet's gaze meets ours directly, yet reveals little. The mugshot aesthetic is meant to dehumanize, reducing him to a set of measurable characteristics. Consider the social context: late 19th-century Paris, a city grappling with rapid industrialization and anxieties about crime and class. Bertillon's system, while scientifically flawed, reflects a desire for control and order. It speaks to broader societal anxieties about identity, surveillance, and the pathologization of the working class. This image is a powerful reminder of how systems of power intersect with individual lives, framing and judging them within larger social narratives.