Auvin. Henri. 37 ans, né à St-Meme (Charente-Inférieure). Chaudronnier. Anarchiste. 1/3/94. 1894

This small photograph was made in France in 1894 by Alphonse Bertillon. It's a mugshot of Henri Auvin, a 37-year-old metal worker from Charente-Inferieure, identified here as an anarchist. Bertillon developed a system of anthropometry, meticulously measuring physical characteristics to identify criminals. This photograph is more than just a record; it's an artifact of institutional power. The subject’s profession and political affiliation are meticulously documented, revealing anxieties about the working class and anarchism in France at that time. The very act of documenting and categorizing individuals like Auvin speaks to the social and political climate of late 19th-century France, where surveillance and control were becoming increasingly sophisticated. To truly understand this image, we need to look at police archives and historical studies of anarchism to fully understand the social and political tensions of the time. It's only by piecing together these contextual layers that we can fully understand the meaning of this photograph.