Carraglia. Charles. 39 ans, né à Moceto (It). Homme de lettres. Anar, infraction à la loi du 21/6/73. 13/3/94.

Art Historical Context

This poignant albumen silver print from a glass negative captures Charles Carraglia, a39-year-old Italian-born of letters arrested on March 13, 1894, for violating France's law of June 21, 1873—likely tied to restrictions on anarchist activities or press freedoms. Created by Alphonse Bertillon, pioneering French forensic photographer, the image is a classic example of his "anthropometric" mugshot system, featuring precise frontal and profile views with meticulous measurements. At just 10.5 x 7 cm, these small photographs were tools of identification in an era before fingerprints dominated policing. Bertillon's method, known as *bertillonnage*, revolutionized criminal justice in the late 19th century by standardizing portraits with physical data, blending science and photography. Carraglia's stern gaze reflects the turbulent 1890s in France, a time of anarchist fervor amid bombings and political unrest, which prompted harsh crackdowns on radicals like this intellectual émigré from Moceto, Italy. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Gilman Collection, Bertillon's utilitarian images transcend their origins as stark portraits of humanity under scrutiny. Their sharp detail and clinical composition highlight early photography's dual role as art and evidence, inviting us to ponder the lives behind the labels.

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 ...