MUGSHOTS

From the beginning photography was used to take people's portraits.Lots of painters making a living in portraiture lost their job or took up photography.  It wasn't until the Commune of Paris in 1872 that photography was used for identification. Many of the  Communards who had been posing on the barricades, were later apprehended by the Army and shot. And even in their death they were lined up, given numbered tags and photographed. Some time later in 1882  French scientist Bertillon introduced a set of rules for describing a person: the Bertillon measurements. Later, when the uniqueness of fingerprints was verified by Galton, these were added to the file.  And it didn't take long before a small portrait photograph was attached to these files. First they were in the then popular carte-de-visite format. Later special camera's were  employed and a front shot and side shot were taken.. Sometimes the criminal was photographed with his hat on. Apparently a very important charac- teristic in those days. Everybody wore a hat or a cap . Or was it only gentlemen wore hats?		The back of these cards states all kinds of  data: names, aliases, tattoos, missing limbs, relatives and of course the reasons for arrest. Also earlier crimes and detention, names of arresting officers, colour of hair, eyes and skin, and surprisingly: occupation. Of course all these people had  more or less regular jobs. Most of them  had learned a trade: tailor, merchant, mechanic and  salesman. One of them is a housewife, three are waitresses. Looking at them i sometimes wonder: would i be able to recognize them as criminals? Looking them in their eyes what do you see? Meeting them on the street would i know their occupation? Would i trust them? One of them looks a lot like a very good friend of mine. Some of them take a very sarcastic look at the camera. Maybe they had a good reason for that. The oldest of these cards date from the Twenties and Thirties. The Depression of course. You can see it by their clothes. Lots of poverty. What did it mean  to be a waitress in those days? How did someone became a Hopfiend? It was only my intention to show their faces hence no names and no places. Most of them are dead probably. Perhaps some of  these faces still survive in a familyalbum.
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