Zes afbeeldingen gerelateerd aan een moord bij de Passerelle de l'Estacade in Parijs before 1890

This anonymous composite photograph, circa 1870, presents six images related to a murder near the Passerelle de l'Estacade in Paris. The original layout of the book page juxtaposes a scene of the bridge with portraits of individuals involved. The composition is strikingly formal: a structural arrangement of images conveys a sense of order imposed upon the chaos of a violent crime. The stark black-and-white tones emphasize the contrasts in texture and form. The bridge, a symbol of connection, is rendered as a rigid, almost skeletal structure, contrasting sharply with the soft, blurred faces below. This interplay introduces a semiotic discourse around modernity, where the rational architecture of the bridge juxtaposes the irrationality of human violence. The formal arrangement, seemingly neutral, functions to scrutinize and dissect the event, challenging any singular interpretation. The page becomes a site of ongoing interpretation, inviting us to decode the underlying structures of crime and representation in 19th-century Paris.