Barbier. Émile, Alphonse. 36 ans, né à Paris. Peintre en bâtiment. Anarchiste. 26/2/94.
Medium
Albumen silver print from glass negative
Dimensions
10.5 x 7 x 0.5 cm (4 1/8 x 2 3/4 x 3/16 in.) each
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gilman Collection, Museum Purchase, 2005
Accession Number
2005.100.375.16
Tags
Art Historical Context
This poignant photograph, titled *Barbier. Émile, Alphonse. 36 ans, né à Paris. Pe en bâtiment. Anarch. 26/2/94*, captures the stern profile of Émile Alphonse Barb, a 36-year-old Parisian house painter labeled ananarchist." Created by Alphonse Bert in 1894, it exemplifies the pioneering forensic photography of its era. Bertillon, a French criminologist, developed "Bertillonage," a system of anthropometric measurements and standardized mugshots—full-face and profile views—to identify criminals, revolutionizing police work before fingerprints took over. Taken amid France's turbulent fin-de-sièc...
About the Artist
Alphonse Bertillon · 1853–1914
Alphonse Bertillon (1853–1914) was a pioneering French photographer whose work revolutionized forensic documentation, transforming police identification into a precise visual science. Born in Paris on April 22, 1853, he was the son of medical professor and statistician Louis-Adolphe Bertillon and the younger brother of demographer Jacques Bertillon. Lacking formal higher education after expulsion ...