Moordenaars, slachtoffers en wapens before 1890

This anonymous print, titled "Moordenaars, slachtoffers en wapens," or "Murderers, victims, and weapons", presents images of people and objects related to a Parisian crime from 1878. The printmaking process, likely a form of engraving or lithography, allowed for the wide dissemination of these images, turning them into a public spectacle. Note the inclusion of a hammer, and a soda siphon, both everyday items elevated to instruments of violence. The text explains that the hammer was typically used by gas workers; it represents the normalization of violence within the working class, tools transformed into weapons by economic hardship. By documenting both the perpetrators and the instruments of their crime, the print blurs the lines between documentation, sensationalism, and social commentary. It reminds us that even the most mundane objects can be implicated in acts of violence, reflecting broader issues of labor, class, and the dark side of industrial progress.