Soubrié. François. 39 ans, né à Livignac-le-Haut (Aveyron). Brûleur de café. Anarchiste. 14/3/94.
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
2005.100.375.392
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 19th century, criminologist Alphonse Bertillon revolutionized police identification with his anthropometric system, pairing precise body measurements with standardized portrait photographs known as *portraits parlés* (speaking likenesses). This 1894 albumen silver from a glass negative captures François Soubrié, a 39-year-old coffee roaster (*brûleur de café*) from Livignac-le-Haut in Aveyron, labeled simply as "Anarchiste." Measuring just 10.5 x 7 cm, the small card-like image exemplifies Bertillon's meticulous mugshot format: a full-face view with exacting lighting and pose to ai...
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 ...