Francier. Éloi. 41 ans, né le 28/10/53 à Resson-le-Long (Aisne). Ébéniste. Anarchiste. 22/5/94.
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
2005.100.375.172
Tags
Art Historical Context
In 1894, pioneering forensic photographer Alphonse Bertillon captured this stark portrait of Éloiancier, a 41-year-old cabinetmaker (ébéniste) from R-le-Long in France's Aisne region, labeled as an "anarchiste." Part of Bertillon's meticulous judicial photography series, the image records Francrier's details—born October 28, 1853—with the precise date of May 22, 1894. Produced as a small albumen silver print from a glass negative (10.5 x 7 cm), it exemplifies the crisp detail and tonal richness of this 19th-century process, favored for its archival stability and sharp resolution. Bertillon, c...
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 ...