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'Orthometre', eye measuring device for criminal identification system, Paris, France, 1895
Orthometre brass eye measuring instrument in velvet lined wooden case (without lid), 1895.
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Alphonse Bertillon invented a system of measuring or photographing every part of a person, from the shape of their earlobes to the length of their arms. Police forces around the world adopted his complicated method. However, a simpler version that focused on collecting fingerprints and taking ‘mugshot’ photographs of suspected criminals’ faces eventually became more common.
The 'orthometre' is a set of tools Bertillon designed for measuring how far a subject’s eyes stuck out from or sunk into the head.
- Measurements:
-
overall (lid removed): 50 mm x 500 mm x 425 mm, 3.465 kg
overall (instruments removed): 1.315 kg
- Materials:
- brass (copper, zinc alloy) , textile , wood (unidentified) and metal (unknown)
- Object Number:
- 1985-1723/1
- type:
- anthropometrical measure
- Image ©
- The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
