Deguet. Victor, Adonis. 50 ans, né le 27/2/44 à Vuenpont (Aisne). Armurier. Anarchiste. 16/3/94. 1894

Alphonse Bertillon’s 1894 photographic portrait, "Deguet. Victor," is part of the artist's larger photographic series documenting criminals and individuals in the French prison system. The portrait is a close-up of a man in a dark jacket, captured in a frontal pose, with his name and criminal identification number printed below. Bertillon, known for his innovative use of photography and anthropometry in criminal identification, created these portraits to establish a system of mugshot photography that would aid in the identification of criminals. The starkness of the portrait highlights Bertillon’s interest in using photography as a tool for scientific study, with its focus on identifying individuals for criminal justice purposes.