Grugeau. Alfred, Alphonse. 26 ans, né à Tours (Indre & Loire). Cordonnier. Anarchiste. 9/3/94.

Art Historical Context

In the late 19th century, criminologist Alphonse Bert revolutionized police identification with his anthropometric system, capturing meticulous mugshots like this 1894 albumen silver print Alfred Alphonse Grugeau. Titled with stark bureaucratic detail—"Grugeau. Alfred, Alphon. 26 ans, né à Tours (Indre Loire). Cordonnier Anarchiste. 9/3/94"—the small photograph (10.5 x 7 cm) depicts the 26-year-old shoemaker from Tours, labeled an anarchist amid France's turbulent era of political unrest. Bertillon's technique paired a precise frontal portrait with a profile view against a scaled background, ensuring scientific accuracy for criminal records. Printed from a glass negative onto albumen silver paper, it yields the era's signature rich tones and fine detail, transforming forensic documentation into an inadvertent art form. Produced during a wave of anarchist bombings and trials in 1890s Paris, this image humanizes a suspect, revealing Grugeau's weary gaze and working-class features. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Gilman Collection, Bertillon's portraits bridge photography's artistic evolution and forensic history, offering a poignant window into social upheaval and the dawn of modern criminal justice.

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 ...