Cornu. Eugène. 25 ans, né à Paris XXe le 27/3/94. Cordonnier. Anarchiste. 2/7/94. 1894

This is an albumen print of Eugène Cornu made in Paris on July 2nd, 1894, by Alphonse Bertillon. Bertillon was a French criminologist who pioneered the use of photography and anthropometry in law enforcement. He believed that detailed records of physical measurements could be used to identify and track criminals. This image of Cornu, labeled as a 25 year old anarchist shoemaker, is an example of Bertillon’s system in practice. The photograph is a product of its time, reflecting the social and political anxieties of late 19th-century France. The rise of anarchism as a political movement threatened the established order, and the French authorities responded with increased surveillance and repression. Bertillon’s system was intended to serve the state’s need to classify and control dissident elements of the population. As historians, we can examine police archives, newspapers, and political pamphlets to understand better the context in which this photograph was made. The image reminds us that art can be enmeshed within institutional power structures.