CultureFrench
Titles
- Empreintes Digitales
- Fingerprints
Datec. 1900
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 4 13/16 × 6 3/4 in. (12.2 × 17.2 cm)
Sheet: 5 1/16 × 6 15/16 in. (12.8 × 17.7 cm)
Sheet: 5 1/16 × 6 15/16 in. (12.8 × 17.7 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number2016.349
Not on view
Explore Further
Department
PhotographyObject Type
Fingerprints, unique to every individual, have a long history in both art and crime. In ancient Babylonia and China, thumbprints and fingerprints were used on clay tablets and seals as signatures. It was not until the 19th century, however, that a system of fingerprint classification for law enforcement was established.
Provenance[Ader Nordmann, Paris, Photographies & Livres de Photographies, November 12, 2016, 52 (illus.), lot 81]; purchased by MFAH, 2016.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
[no inscriptions]
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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