A vast collection of macabre torture instruments owned by Fernand Meyssonnier – an executioner in French Algeria who helped to guillotine the heads off more than 200 people.

We thought with Valentine’s day just around the corner we would keep your mind off of hearts, candy, and fluffy little poems of love. Instead we will fill your mind with what happens to those that don’t behave the way society thinks that they should. These are some of the most heinous torture devices and methods used to gain information, or destroy a victim.

The series of photos you’ll see is called “State of Emergency”. It appeared in Vogue Italia in September 2006. It is considered one of the most controversial fashion spreads of the photographer Steven Meisel to date. He shows a new perspective to contemporary debates on terrorism, horrors of torture and excessive use of force.

Maybe these pictures aren’t new but they are really great. I like the photographer’s style.