Pernin. François. 34 ans, né le 11/1/60 au Creuzot (Saône-et-Loire). Forgeron. Anarchiste. 2/7/94.
Medium
Albumen silver print from glass negative
Dimensions
10.5 x 7 x 0.5 cm (4 1/8 x 2 3/4 x 3/16 in.) each
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gilman Collection, Museum Purchase, 2005
Accession Number
2005.100.375.326
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
This poignant portrait, titled *Pernin. François. ans, né le 11/1/60 au Creuzot (Saône-et-Loire). Forger. Anarchiste. 2/7/94*, captures François Pernin, 34-year-old blacksmith self-identified anarchist from eastern France. Created by Alphonse Bertillon in 189, it exemplifies the pioneering work of the French forensic photographer who developed the Bertillon system—an early method of criminal identification using precise measurements and standardized mugshots. The image, part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Gilman Collection, offers a stark glimpse into Pernin's life amid France's turbulent fin-de-siècle era. Bertillon's photographs were not mere records but tools of science and control, taken during a wave of anarchist bombings and trials that gripped Paris in the 1890s. Pernin, arrested on July 2, 1894, embodies the era's social unrest, where laborers like blacksmiths challenged industrial capitalism through radical politics. The portrait's meticulous labeling—detailing age, birthplace, profession, and ideology—highlights Bertillon's innovative anthropometry, bridging photography's artistic potential with policing. Printed as a small albumen silver print from a glass negative (10.5 x 7 cm), the work showcases 19th-century photography's exquisite detail and warm tonality. Though utilitarian, these images have enduring artistic value, humanizing historical figures and revealing the raw intensity of their gazes, inviting us to reflect on justice, identity, and rebellion.
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 ...