Garnier. Auguste. 34 ans, né à Périgny (Côte-d'Or). Journalier. Anarchiste. 2/3/94. 1894

This is a photograph, made by Alphonse Bertillon in 1894, recording Auguste Garnier, a 34-year-old anarchist. The most striking symbol here is Garnier's own face: his unkempt beard, piercing gaze, and disheveled hair. These features, though personal to Garnier, tap into a broader cultural anxiety surrounding anarchists. The beard, historically associated with wisdom and rebellion, evolves into a marker of radicalism, a visual shorthand for social disruption. His unwavering stare, a piercing challenge, echoes in the collective memory of defiant figures throughout history, from religious zealots to revolutionary leaders. Think of the portraits of revolutionaries like Marat and Robespierre; their faces, like Garnier's, become icons, embodying the turbulence and uncertainty of their times. Through this portrait, Bertillon inadvertently captures not just an individual, but a potent symbol of societal fears, anxieties, and the eternal recurrence of the struggle between order and chaos.