Deliège. Nicolas, François. 19 ans, né à Ixelles (Belgique). Tailleur d'habits. Anarchiste. 9/3/94.
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
2005.100.375.147
Tags
Art Historical Context
This poignant portrait, titled *Deliège. Nicolas,. 19 ans, né à Ixelles (Belique). Tailleur dhabits. Anarch. 9/3/94*, captures the stern gaze of a 19-year-old Belgian tailor labeled as an "anarchist." Created by Alphonse Bert in 1894, it exemplifies the French pioneer's revolutionary work in forensic photography. Bertillon chief of the Paris Prefecture of Police's Identification Service, developed the anthropometric system—known as "Bertillonage"—to catalog criminals through precise measurements and standardized mugshots, bridging science and art in the fight against crime. Taken as an albume...
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 ...