Grugeau. Alfred, Alphonse. 26 ans, né à Tours (Indre & Loire). Cordonnier. 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
2005.100.375.190
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 19th century, criminologist Alphonse Bert revolutionized police identification with his anthropometric system, capturing meticulous mugshots like this 1894 albumen silver print Alfred Alphonse Grugeau. Titled with stark bureaucratic detail—"Grugeau. Alfred, Alphon. 26 ans, né à Tours (Indre Loire). Cordonnier Anarchiste. 9/3/94"—the small photograph (10.5 x 7 cm) depicts the 26-year-old shoemaker from Tours, labeled an anarchist amid France's turbulent era of political unrest. Bertillon's technique paired a precise frontal portrait with a profile view against a scaled background, ...
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 ...