Soulas. Honoré, Jules. 33 ans, né à Chatillon le 10/12/55. Peintre en bâtiment. Anarchiste. 27/5/89. 1889

Curator: Before us we have a gelatin silver print created in 1889, “Soulas. Honoré, Jules. 33 ans, né à Chatillon le 10/12/55. Peintre en bâtiment. Anarchiste. 27/5/89." This compelling portrait comes to us from the hand of Alphonse Bertillon. Editor: There is something instantly compelling in the unflinching directness of his stare, the arresting symmetry. Despite being captured in what were likely constrained circumstances, the sitter’s mustache projects considerable panache. It’s an undeniable statement of individuality. Curator: Indeed, beyond aesthetics, consider the portrait's origin. This isn’t just art for art’s sake; this image exists within the complex sociopolitical milieu of late 19th-century France. Bertillon pioneered judicial photography, striving for a standardized, “objective” way to record and categorize criminals. The inscription at the bottom identifies the sitter not just as an individual, but also his profession, age, and most pointedly, political affiliation—anarchist. This positions him firmly against the established order. Editor: Symbols of defiance. I note how his dark coat, secured by those three visible buttons, visually anchors his rebellious energy, that unruly mustache mirroring the tempestuous socio-political climate. One wonders about his emotional state at this pivotal juncture, but all evidence leads the eye straight to the mustache. It demands your immediate consideration! Curator: Exactly! His very presence disrupts the narrative Bertillon sought to create. Labeling him only as "anarchist" attempts to distill a person into a single, demonized trait. The reality, surely, was more nuanced. His participation in those sociopolitical circumstances speak to broader themes like marginalization, the fight for social justice, and the dangerous construction of otherness. How effective, and truly objective, could it be? Editor: And so, an enduring testament remains. Within what could easily have remained a dispassionate record lies this photograph’s true fascination: Honoré Jules Soulas stares from history, immortalized for an act or idea… now infused with both humanism and hope. Curator: The details surrounding this striking silver print certainly inspire continued interrogation of power structures and the fight for human dignity, even today.