Theriez. Louis (ou Perriez). 35 ans, né le 29/8/58 à Paris. Ébéniste. Anarchiste. 16/3/94.

Art Historical Context

In the late 19th century, France's turbulent anarchist movement, Alphonse Bertillon pioneered photography with his systematic "anthropometric" portraits. This 1894 albumen silver print a glass negative captures Louis Theriez (or Perriez), a 35-year-old Parisian cabinetmaker in 1858 and labeled an "Anarchiste" on March16, 1894. At just 10.5 x 7 cm, this intimate mugshot exemplifies Bertillon meticulous method, combining full-face and profile views to aid criminal identification before fingerprints became standard. Bertillon's work revolutionized policing during a era of political unrest, when anarchist bombings shook Paris, evoking fears post-Paris Commune. As an ébéniste (cabinetmaker), Theriez represents ordinary workers drawn into radical politics, their lives reduced to stark, clinical records. The albumen process, prized for its sharp detail and warm tones, lent these images scientific precision, blurring lines between documentation and art. Today, in The Met's Gilman Collection, this portrait offers a poignant glimpse into social history, highlighting photography's dual role as tool of control and cultural artifact. It invites reflection on how images shaped perceptions of deviance and dissent.

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 ...