Zes portretten van zakkenrollers before 1886

This is an anonymous composite portrait of six pickpockets. The images, printed on a page from a book, are arranged in two neat rows of three, each face centered in its own rectangular frame. Look closely at the formal repetition here. The limited tonal range creates a muted, almost ghostly effect. This uniformity invites us to consider the power of categorization, the structural underpinnings of how society classifies and judges individuals. The grid-like arrangement flattens the individuality of the subjects, turning them into specimens within a system. But, is this about criminality or a commentary on the act of representation itself? Each portrait is a sign, a marker within a larger semiotic structure, charged with cultural meanings about deviance. The structural framework, the page itself, becomes a stage for a play of power and knowledge. Consider how this formal composition implicates the viewer, positioning us as both observer and judge within a societal structure that seeks to define and control its subjects.