Mermin. Camille. 33 ans, né à La Havane (Cn Espagnoles). Rep. de cou. (?). Anarchiste. 9/3/94. 1894

Editor: Here we have Alphonse Bertillon’s “Mermin. Camille. 33 ans, né à La Havane...” created in 1894, a gelatin silver print. It strikes me as a very clinical image. How should we understand a portrait like this? Curator: Well, consider the means of production. Bertillon developed this photographic identification system—"Bertillonage"—within a very specific socio-political context. This isn't portraiture as art, it's photography employed for the systematization of crime and social control. Editor: So the subject, Camille, his expression... none of that really matters? It's all about the *process*? Curator: Not *none* of it, but primarily the *why* and *how* it was made are central. The choice of gelatin-silver printing, a relatively new technology, reflects a desire for reproducible and consistent images. How does mass production shape perceptions of individuals? Think about it: this isn't about artistry; it's about categorizing a body. What is lost when an individual becomes an archive? Editor: So, even the anarchist label informs us – a person deemed a threat, photographed using new tech to control subversion? Curator: Precisely! Bertillon used this to categorize individuals as dangerous based on certain metrics. So this photograph transcends being *just* an image; it represents power, surveillance, and the scientific management of society via a cheap medium – photography. Editor: I never considered the socio-political context that deeply when viewing something seemingly as simple as an ID photo. I see how the material conditions of its creation really shape its meaning. Curator: Yes, precisely; examining art through a material lens shifts focus from individual genius to collective practices.