Bossant. Edmond, Léon. 52 ans, né à Valenciennes (Nord). Sans profession. Anarchiste. 27/4/94. 1894

This is a photograph of Edmond Bossant, an anarchist, taken by Alphonse Bertillon in 1894. As part of the Bertillonage system, Bertillon photographed and recorded the physical measurements of criminals to create an identification system. This image is part of a series of mugshots that Bertillon took for the French police. The photograph captures Bossant’s portrait in a simple studio setting, with his name and ID number written below. This photograph is an example of the early use of photography for criminal identification and documentation.