History
Why did Bertillon pair portrait views with body measurements?
A Met record describes a police identification system combining measured bodies, written descriptions and standardized face photographs.
The Metropolitan Museum describes Bertillonage as a system with three parts: anthropometric measurements, a precise verbal description and standardized photographs. Subjects were photographed from the front and in profile, alongside measurements taken with dedicated instruments.
This was an institutional record built for comparison
This was an institutional record built for comparison, not a personal likeness made for sharing. Standardized views attempted to make different people’s files comparable and searchable within an identification system.
Evidence: Collection record
Portrait within a measurement record
The museum’s object record shows how the photograph sat inside a broader procedure. A face image alone did not constitute the whole method; body measures and written details accompanied it.
Evidence: Collection record
Photobooths also fix camera position
Photobooths also fix camera position, but the purpose and power differ sharply. A public booth gives the sitter a keepsake. Bertillonage placed a portrait inside a police system that classified people. Bertillon’s system treated the photograph as one component in a larger record that included measurements and written description. Standard poses aimed to make comparison more consistent, though they did not turn a face into an infallible identifier. This history helps explain why photographic conventions can carry institutional authority beyond their technical ability to establish identity.
Evidence: Collection record
Sources & further reading
Sources for the specific facts and product descriptions above. Our worked examples, interpretations and practical suggestions are original editorial guidance.