Solier. Auguste. 18 ans, né le 3/3/75 à Cemery-la-Ville. Dessinateur. Anarchiste. 12/1/94.

Art Historical Context

This poignant portrait, titled *Solier. Auguste.18 ans, né le 3/3/75 à Cemery-la-Ville. Dessinateur. Aniste. 12/1/94*, captures the young face of Auguste Solier, an 18-year-old draftsman labeled an "anarchiste" upon his arrest on January 12, 1894. Created by Alphonse Bertillon, pioneering French forensic photographer, it exemplifies the standardized mugshot format he developed in the 1880s known as *bertillonage*. These small albumen silver prints from glass negatives—measuring just 10.5 x 7 cm—were designed for criminal identification, featuring precise front and profile views against a scaled background to document physical traits alongside meticulous personal details. Bertillon's work emerged during a turbulent era in France, marked by the *loi scélérates* (villainous laws) of 1893–94, which cracked down on anarchists amid a wave of bombings and "propaganda of the deed." Solier's image reflects the era's political paranoia, transforming ordinary individuals into subjects of state surveillance. As both art and artifact, these photographs bridge documentary precision with haunting portraiture, influencing modern criminology and photography. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Gilman Collection, this piece invites reflection on how images once confined to police files now reveal the human stories behind historical labels, blending forensic science with subtle emotional depth.

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 ...