Mangin. Edmond, Émile. 33 ans, né le 19/3/61 à Senon (Meuse). Cimentier. Anarchiste. 8/7/94.
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
2005.100.375.268
Tags
Art Historical Context
This poignant portrait, titled *Mangin. Edmond, Émile 33 ans, né le 19/3/61 à Senon (Meuse). Cimentier. Anarchiste. 8/7/94*, captures Edmond Émile Mangin, a 33-year-old cement worker from northeastern France, labeled as an anarchist. Created by Alphonse Bertillon in 1894, it exemplifies the pioneering work of this French forensic photographer and criminologist. Bertillon the anthropometric system—known as "Bertillonage"—to identify criminals through precise measurements and standardized photographs, revolutionizing police work in an era before fingerprints dominated. Taken amid France's turbu...
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 ...