Baben. Hyppolyte, Antoine. 49 ans, né à St Sermain (Aveyron). Serrurier. Anarchiste. 9/3/94.

This mugshot, "Baben. Hyppolyte, Antoine," was produced in 1894 by Alphonse Bertillon using albumen silver print. The sepia tones and rigid frontal pose present Baben as a specimen under observation. Bertillon's approach imposes a grid-like structure on the subject. The composition, with its stark, symmetrical framing, reduces Baben to a set of measurable attributes. The texture of the paper and the minute details captured by the photographic process emphasize materiality. Bertillon’s method extends beyond mere representation; it seeks to categorize and control. The photograph, then, operates as a sign within a system of surveillance, stripping Baben of his individuality and fixing him within a network of power relations. Consider the way this formal quality serves a larger cultural discourse. The act of documenting and classifying individuals reflects broader anxieties about social order and the desire to impose a fixed structure on a fluid and unpredictable world.