Job. Eugène, François. 31 ans, né à Paris Xle. Chaisier. Anarchiste. 6/3/94. 1894

This mugshot of Eugène François Job, a 31-year-old chair maker and anarchist, was made in Paris on March 6, 1894, by Alphonse Bertillon. It's an albumen print, a process that coats paper with egg white to create a glossy surface for the photographic emulsion, which was quite common at the time. The choice of photography itself is important. Bertillon was standardizing a system of identifying criminals through precise measurements and photographs – a cold application of technology to social control. We can imagine Job sitting for this portrait, a chair maker brought before the lens, his trade and political beliefs now reduced to a set of data points in the service of the state. Consider the irony: Job made chairs, objects meant for sitting, for assembly, for community, yet here he is, fixed in isolation, his image captured as a tool of surveillance. It is a stark reminder of how materials and processes – even those of art and technology – are always embedded in social and political contexts. This image challenges us to look beyond the surface and consider the power dynamics at play.