Martin. Pierre. 22 ans, né à St-Léger (Saône-et-Loire). Employé de commerce. Anarchiste. 27/2/94.
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
2005.100.375.273
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 19th century, criminologist Alphonse Bertillon revolutionized police identification with his anthropometric system, producing meticulous mugshots like this one of Pierre Martin. Titled with stark bureaucratic detail—"Martin. Pierre. ans, né à Stéger (Saône-et-Loire). Employé de commerce. Anarchiste 27/2/94"—the 1894 albumen silver print captures the 22-year-old commercial clerk and self-identified anarchist in a standardized profile view. Measuring just 10.5 x 7 cm, it exemplifies Bertillon's clinical precision, blending photography with measurement for forensic records. Created ...
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 ...