Thibivilliers. Eugène. 23 ans, né à Pinseux-le-Haut-Verger (Oise). Polisseur de métaux. Cris séditieux. 5/3/94
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
2005.100.375.407
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 19th century, criminologist Alphonse Bert revolutionized law enforcement with his "Bertillonage" system meticulous method of criminal identification using anthropometric measurements and standardized photography. This 1894 albumen silver print from a negative captures Eugène Thibivilliers, a 23-year-old metalisher from Pinseux-le-Haut-Verger in Oise, arrested for "cris séditieux" (sedit cries) on March 5. The compact portrait (10.5 x 7 cm), part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Gilman Collection, exemplifies Bertillon's clinical precision: a stark, frontal view against a plain b...
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 ...