A Flawed System
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Bertillon Anthropometry
In 1879, Alphonse Bertillon developed a new identification system in Paris based upon a series of various body measurements. He believed every individual possessed a distinctive set of measurements, causing anthropometry to quickly spread across Europe and America. Will West Case
The infamous Will West Case revealed distinctive imperfections in anthropometry after two inmates with similar physical traits and Bertillon measurements could not be differentiated based on anthropometry alone. |
 "A photograph from Alphonse Bertillon's photo album from his exhibition at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago."  "Measurement of the cubit (from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow)." Photos and captions from Visible Proofs' The Bertillon System Photo Gallery (1893).
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