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Alphonse Bertillon: Bertillonage Photo-Identification Biometric System 1879
The father of criminological forensics and crime-scene investigation, Bertillon had a global impact
on the emergence of modern policing. His multiple-attribute anthropometrical system - including fa-
cial and bodily measurements, a written portrait of body and face, the mug-shot and inventory of
body markings - required Bertillon to invent his own card-index double filing system, applying his
Bertillonage improvements to the National Police records (“sommiers judiciaires”). As Pierre Piazza
explains: "The central repository was radically reshaped in all its dimensions, from the architectural
layout of the premises to the definition of writing, checking and research procedures, the introduc-
tion of a filing system based on colors, acronyms and abbreviations, and the harmonization of re-
port cards."" (Piazza: Alphonse Bertillon and the Identification of Persons (1880-1914) at crimino-
corpus.org. This is a database in all but name - another significant contribution of Bertillon. https://criminocorpus.org/en/exhibitions/suspects-defendants-guilty/alphonse-bertillon-and-identification-persons-1880-1914/
John Thomas Barnardo: photographic records of children c1875.
The sadness and hope of rescued children - each with their own ‘cartes de visite’ in Barnardo’s ar-
chive. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37201440