Maurin. Émile, Auguste. 31 ans, né à Marseille (Bouche du Rhône). Ex photographe. Anarchiste. 2/7/94.
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
2005.100.375.282
Tags
Art Historical Context
This poignant portrait, captured by Alphonse Bert in 1894, Émile Auguste Maurin a 31-year-old photographer from Marseille identified as an "anarchiste." Titled with meticulous detail—age, birthplace, profession, and arrest date (July 2, 1894)—it exemplifies Bertillon's pioneering work in forensic photography. As the inventor of the anthropometric system, Bertillon revolutionized criminal identification in late 19th-century France, using standardized mugshots and measurements to catalog suspects before fingerprints became standard. Created as an albumen silver print from a glass negative, the ...
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 ...