Theriez. Louis (ou Perriez). 35 ans, né le 29/8/58 à Paris. Ébéniste. Anarchiste. 16/3/94. 1894

Alphonse Bertillon created this mugshot, "Theriez. Louis," as part of his project to standardize criminal identification in late 19th-century France. Bertillon’s portraits, made with gelatin silver printing, capture not just a face, but a moment rife with social and political tension. Note the subject's expression, seemingly caught between defiance and resignation. As an ébéniste, a cabinet maker, Theriez's class identity positions him in a politically precarious place. Even more, he is identified as an anarchist, a label which carried heavy implications during a period of intense social upheaval. The mugshot humanizes its subject while simultaneously reducing him to a set of data points. It serves as a stark reminder of the power structures inherent in systems of identification and control, and prompts us to consider the individuals caught within them.