Crespin. Joseph. 40 ans, né à Roquesteron (Alpes-Maritimes). Employé de banque. 25/3/93. 1893

Editor: Here we have an interesting daguerreotype from 1893, a portrait of Crespin Joseph, a 40-year-old bank employee from Roquesteron, by Alphonse Bertillon. It feels quite…stark, almost clinical, despite its age. What’s your take on this piece? Curator: Clinical is an interesting word for it. For me, it feels deeply personal precisely because it isn’t trying to be traditionally beautiful. This is Bertillon, remember. It’s more about the individual as a specimen. You can feel that tug-of-war between art and…cataloging, can't you? That quiet anxiety of identity staring back. It also offers a glimpse into a past meticulously recording itself, one face at a time. Does it evoke that in you as well? Editor: Absolutely! That tension is really palpable. So, the photo is kind of a crossroads between portraiture and documentation. Did that approach influence other artists at the time, do you think? Curator: Oh, without a doubt. Think of the early documentarians capturing the immigrant experience, or the growth of cities. They were all wrestling with this new tool—photography—and how to use it both to record and to reveal something deeper. Like staring into a mirror and trying to catch your soul flickering in your eyes. Editor: That makes perfect sense. It’s interesting how a single image can hold so much history and interpretation. I think I see more than a face now. Curator: Exactly. Sometimes, the art finds us when we’re not even looking for it, doesn't it? The ordinary suddenly glows with untold narratives.