Gatinet. Pierre, Adrien. 50 ans, né le 13/10/43 à Bourges (Cher). Charpentier. Anarchiste. 2/7/94.

Art Historical Context

In the late 19th century, forensic pioneer Alphonse Bertillon criminal identification with his "Bertillonage" system a meticulous anthropometric method combining precise body measurements, physical descriptions, and standardized photographs. This 1894 albumen silver print from a glass negative captures Pierre Adrien Gatinet, 50-year-old carpenter Bourges labeled as an "anarchiste." At just 10.5 x 7 cm, the small portrait exemplifies Bertillon's clinical mugshot style: a full-face view with exacting detail, inscribed with the subject's vital statistics and arrest date of July 2, 1894. Taken amid France's turbulent "Age of Anarchist Outrages," a period of bombings and social unrest that gripped Paris, this image reflects the era's paranoia toward radicals challenging the Third Republic. Gatinet's working-class profile as a carpenter underscores how Bertillon's system targeted political dissidents alongside common criminals, blending science, surveillance, and state power. Bertillon's photographs, prized today in collections like the Met's Gilman Collection, transcend mere documentation. Printed on albumen paper for sharp tonal range and durability, they mark photography's pivot from art to forensic tool, offering a poignant glimpse into the human stories behind historical headlines.

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 ...