Bertani. Orsini. 24 ou 25 ans, né à Florence (Italie). Sans profession. Anarchiste. 18/3/94 1894

This mugshot of Bertani Orsini, a 24-year-old Italian anarchist, was produced in 1894 using photographic and printing techniques. The photograph itself, likely a gelatin silver print, captures Orsini’s likeness with a stark, documentary quality. But this is not art for art's sake. The real labor here lies in the meticulous classification system devised by Alphonse Bertillon, visible in the handwritten annotations and printed form beneath the image. This emerging system of mass surveillance sought to quantify and categorize individuals, reflecting the late 19th century obsession with scientific management and control. The photograph, then, becomes a tool of the state, a means of producing and managing populations. The mass production of such images speaks to wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption. It also asks us to consider the relationship between art, craft, and technology, questioning whether the techniques of photography and printing can constitute art, and whether we can see this photo as a tool of social control.