Pierlay. Louis, Victor. 53 ans, né à Paris XVIle. Sculpteur. Anarchiste. 8/3/94. 1894

This is Pierlay, Louis Victor, captured by Alphonse Bertillon in Paris on March 8, 1894. The photograph is a standard mugshot, a byproduct of Bertillon's system of identification through precise body measurements. The albumen print, made from a glass negative, was a popular process at the time, celebrated for its sharpness and detail. But here, the crispness serves a different purpose: not to celebrate beauty, but to document and categorize. The mugshot aesthetic, with its emphasis on reproducibility and standardization, reflects the industrialized world it policed. The very act of photographing Pierlay, an anarchist and sculptor, underscores the tension between creative expression and societal control. The photographic process itself becomes a tool of surveillance, a means of cataloging individuals deemed outside the norm. Bertillon’s photograph is not just an image; it’s a record of power dynamics, a stark reminder of how even the most seemingly objective technologies can be used to reinforce social hierarchies. By understanding the historical context, the artistic intention and the process of making, we see beyond the surface and engage with the deeper narrative embedded within.