Matha.
1880s–90s
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
2005.100.375.278
Tags
Art Historical Context
"Matha" is a albumen silver print from a negative, created by Alse Bertillon in the 1880s–90s. Measuring just 10.5 x 7 cm, this intimate portrait captures a man with unflinching precision, exemplifying Bertillon's pioneering work in forensic photography. As the inventor of anthropometry—the "Bertillon system" for identifying criminals through detailed body measurements and standardized photographs—Bertillon transformed portraiture into a scientific tool, blending art and detection. Produced using the albumen process, popular in the 19th century for its rich tonal range and fine detail, the im...
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 ...