Here we have a visceral study in late-Victorian dehumanization: the 1899 Bertillon record of Albert Alexander, processed at the Washington State Penitentiary as Convict No. 2036. This specimen captures the exact moment the state’s forensic machinery dismantled the identity of a Spokane teamster. It consists of the original dual-image mugshot and the corresponding anthropometric data card.
The visual narrative here is one of total institutional subsumption. In the street portrait (left), Alexander appears with a full, thick head of hair—a laborer arrested for the high felony of horse stealing.
By the profile portrait (right), the state has begun its work. To facilitate the "Diameter of Head" and "Distance between temples" measurements required by the Bertillon System, Alexander has been forcibly shorn. This striking physical transition—from a man with hair and civilian clothing to a bald, numbered object in horizontal prison stripes—is the hallmark of early forensic photography. The hair was not just cut; it was removed as a clinical necessity, effectively erasing the "Teamster" to make room for the "Convict."
Here are a couple of the details on the reverse:
Inmate: Albert Alexander (Age 26)
Offense: Horse Stealing (Spokane County)
Received: July 21, 1899
Physical Notations: "Pale" eyes and "Dk Brown" hair (noted before the shearing).
The Body Map: Detailed notations of a "Mole on back of neck" and a "Large cut scar on left side of body."
The rare prison artifact comes out of an old estate in Washington state. The piece was produced in 1899.
The old prison card measures 5 1/2” wide by 3 1/2” tall. The old photo card has wear from age throughout. Please see all pics as they are part of the description.
They took his hair Tommy! What a piece of prison history.
