Charrié. Cyprien. 26 ans, né le 7/10/67 à Paris XVIlle. Imprimeur. Anarchiste 2/7/94.

Art Historical Context

In the turbulent Paris of 1894, amid a wave of anarchist bombings and political unrest, Alphonse Bertillon captured this stark portrait of Cyprien Charé, a 26-year-old printer labeled an "anarchiste" after his arrest on July 2. Born in Paris's 18th arrondissement, Charri exemplifies the working-class radicals who challenged the Third Republic's authority. Bertillon, the pioneering forensic photographer for the Paris Prefecture of Police, documented him using his revolutionary "Bertillon" system—a precise anthropometric method combining measurements, profile and frontal views, and meticulous notation to identify criminals scientifically. Printed as an albumen silver image from a glass negative, this diminutive 10.5 x 7 cm photograph showcases early forensic photography's technical brilliance: sharp details, even lighting, and clinical objectivity that prioritized evidence over artistry. Yet, these "rogues' galleries" transcend their origins, offering haunting portraits that humanize their subjects and reveal the era's social tensions. Today, in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Gilman Collection, Charrié's image bridges art and history, highlighting how photography evolved from portraiture to a tool of state surveillance, influencing modern criminal justice and documentary practices. A poignant glimpse into fin-de-siècle France's underbelly.

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 ...