Ricois. Charles-Victor. 48 ans, né le 21/3/46 à Orléans. Employé au Journal Officiel. Anarchiste. 2/7/94.

Art Historical Context

This poignant albumen silver print from a glass negative, created by Alphonse Bertillon in 1894, captures Charles-Victor Ricois, a 48-year-old employee at the Journal Officiel in Orléans. Measuring just 10.5 x 7 cm, it exemplifies Bertillon's pioneering "anthropometric" system—known as Bertillonage—developed for the Paris Prefecture of Police. This methodical approach standardized criminal photography with precise frontal and profile views, measurements, and meticulous notations, revolutionizing forensic identification in an era before fingerprints dominated. Bertillon, a polymath and innovator, transformed mugshots from haphazard sketches into scientific tools amid France's turbulent fin-de-siècle, marked by anarchist bombings and social unrest. Ricois, labeled simply "Anarchiste" on July 2, 1894, embodies this charged context, his stern gaze and detailed record reflecting fears of radical politics. Though documentary in purpose, these small prints hold artistic merit for their clinical precision and rich tonal depth, courtesy of the albumen process, which yielded sharp details from glass negatives. Today, in The Met's Gilman Collection, this portrait bridges photography's artistic evolution and criminology's history, inviting us to ponder identity, justice, and the human stories behind official labels.

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 ...