Villa. Jean. 29 ans, né à Farini d'Olma (Italie). Manoeuvre. Anarchiste. 2/3/94.
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
2005.100.375.424
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 19th century, criminologist Alphonse Bert revolutionized police identification with his "anthropometric system," combining precise measurements, detailed descriptions, and standardized photographs known as *portraits parlés* (speaking portraits). This 4 albumen silver print a glass negative captures Jean Villa, a 29-year-old Italian-born laborer from Farini d'Olma, labeled an "anarchiste" (anarchist) and arrested on March 2. At just 10.5 x 7 cm, the small format belies its monumental role in forensic history, part of Bertillon's vast archive at the Paris Prefecture of Police. Bert...
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 ...