Bompeix. Eugène. 53 ans, né à St Martin d'Herbus (Haute-Vienne). Conducteur de machines. Anar. 3/7/94. 1894

This photograph, created by Alphonse Bertillon, captures Eugène Bompeix in 1894, a machinist labeled as an "Anar," or anarchist. The starkness of the image, a method of cataloging individuals, echoes throughout history. The mugshot format, with its cold, objective gaze, is a modern echo of classical portraiture used to immortalize and categorize. Yet, here, the intent is not to celebrate but to document and control. The subject's disheveled appearance and weary eyes betray a deep-seated defiance, a visual resistance against the attempt to strip him of his individuality. Consider the evolution from heroic portraits of antiquity to this. The psychological weight shifts from admiration to apprehension, reflecting our collective anxieties about societal order and the individual's place within it. This image, like a recurring dream, compels us to confront the enduring tension between freedom and control.