Notelez. Charles, Émile. 29 ans, né à Paris XXe. Portefeuilliste. Anarchiste. 26/2/94.

Art Historical Context

In the late 19th century, France's turbulent era of social unrest, Alphonse Bertillon pioneered photography with his anthropometric system, known as *Bertillonage*. This 1894 albumen silver print from a glass negative captures Charles Émile Notelez a 29-year-old stock portfolio manager labeled an "anarchiste." Created on February 26, the small 10.5 x 7 cm portrait—part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Gilman Collection—exemplifies Bertillon's meticulous mugshot format, featuring standardized frontal and profile views to aid criminal identification. Bertillon, a Paris police clerk turned innovator, revolutionized law enforcement by combining precise measurements, physical descriptions, and photography. Notelez's image reflects the era's "propaganda of the deed," when anarchist bombings terrorized Paris, prompting harsh government crackdowns. Though not fine art, these prints hold immense historical value, bridging photography's documentary power with early criminology. The albumen process, using egg whites for sharp detail on paper, ensured durability and clarity from fragile glass negatives—a technique that defined 19th-century photography. Today, this artifact invites us to ponder the intersection of surveillance, politics, and portraiture in a time of radical change.

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 ...