Bocquet. Alexandre, Émile. 17 ans, né à Paris XVlle. Menuisier. Vol. Fiché le 14/4/94.
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
2005.100.375.56
Tags
Art Historical Context
This poignant albumen silver print from a glass negative, created by Alphonse Bertillon in 189, captures the face of Alexandre Émile Boc, a 17-year-old carpenter from Paris's 17th arrondissement, documented for theft on April 14. Measuring just 10.5 x 7 cm, this small yet stark portrait is part of Bertillon's pioneering forensic photography system, known as *bertillonage*. As chief of the Identification Service at Paris's Prefecture of Police, Bertillon revolutionized criminal identification by combining precise body measurements with standardized mugshots—full-face and profile views taken aga...
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 ...