New York Police Department Bertillon cards and other material
Collection REC0056 - RG 062. New York Police Department
Abstract
The collection consists of New York Police Department Bertillon cards and supporting material, 1883-1956 (bulk 1903-1939). The Bertillon card system revolutionized criminal identification allowing for more streamlined identification of repeat offenders. The cards which contain biometrical data as well as details about the person’s background and criminal charges provide an overview of criminalization of certain activities in the early part of the twentieth century.
Extent
46.43 cubic feet (101 half cubic foot boxes)
Dates
1883-1956, bulk 1903-1939
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Additional Description
Physical Location
Materials are stored at 31 Chambers Street in Manhattan.
Custodial History
It is unclear whether the records were in the custody of the Police Academy at the time of acquisition or whether they were transferred from the Bureau of Criminal Identification, who originally created the records. Transfer of the records were coordinated by Sergeant Tom Krant, who at the time of transfer oversaw the Police Academy Library so it could have well likely come from those collections.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Sergeant Tom Krant, a Public Historian of the New York Police Department oversaw the transfer to the New York City Municipal Archives in September 1986.
Existence and Location of Copies
Selections of the collection have been digitized and can be accessed on the Digital Collections website.
Processing Information
This collection appears to have been processed sometime shortly after it was accessioned with a preliminary finding aid written in 1990s. The original documentation indicated the collection was partly in disarray. The collection was reprocessed in March 2025 and newspaper clippings were photocopied for preservation and the original clippings which were in poor condition were discarded. Also discarded were two folders containing pieces of Bertillon cards, fingerprints, and parts of newspaper clippings which did not have enough information to make them identifiable. The items in Box 100, previously named in ranges by last name were also entered into the item-level inventory.
Scope and Content Note
The collection primarily consists of Bertillon cards (identification photographs) from the New York Police Department, along with booking photographs from other police departments, newspaper clippings, fingerprints, and various biographical sheets, dating from 1883-1956 (bulk 1903-1939). There are 8655 images, but only 163 have been digitized.
Notable records include Bertillon cards for Black Hand mob boss Giuseppe “Clutch Hand” Morello and booking photos and criminal history for Cotton Club owner Owen Madden, as well as numerous newspaper clippings related to several members of the Black Hand. Most of the cards have B numbers, but some also have an E number, the classification of which remains unknown. Additionally, there are various numbers associated with different police departments.
The records show a wide range of charges categorized as misdemeanors and felonies. A significant portion of the records pertains to males charged with theft-related crimes, with specific charges listed on the cards, such as “Hotel bed linen thief.” The cards also refer to outdated criminal terms, including "flim-flammer" (swindler) and "till topper" (cash register theft). Furthermore, the records provide insight into laws enacted in the early part of the 20th century such as various immigration laws that identified inadmissible classes of immigrants, and the White Slave Traffic Act (Mann Act) passed in 1910.
There is an inventory of approximately 7315 people that lists crime, date of crime, alias, and comments (notes). A small number of these people were victims. The amount of data for each person varies. The inventory can be accessed in the External Documents section of this guide.
Notable records include Bertillon cards for Black Hand mob boss Giuseppe “Clutch Hand” Morello and booking photos and criminal history for Cotton Club owner Owen Madden, as well as numerous newspaper clippings related to several members of the Black Hand. Most of the cards have B numbers, but some also have an E number, the classification of which remains unknown. Additionally, there are various numbers associated with different police departments.
The records show a wide range of charges categorized as misdemeanors and felonies. A significant portion of the records pertains to males charged with theft-related crimes, with specific charges listed on the cards, such as “Hotel bed linen thief.” The cards also refer to outdated criminal terms, including "flim-flammer" (swindler) and "till topper" (cash register theft). Furthermore, the records provide insight into laws enacted in the early part of the 20th century such as various immigration laws that identified inadmissible classes of immigrants, and the White Slave Traffic Act (Mann Act) passed in 1910.
There is an inventory of approximately 7315 people that lists crime, date of crime, alias, and comments (notes). A small number of these people were victims. The amount of data for each person varies. The inventory can be accessed in the External Documents section of this guide.
Biographical/Historical Information
Bertillon cards were created in 1882 by a French police clerk named Alphonse Bertillon (1853-1914) who created a criminal identification system (anthropometry) based on precise body measurements. The recorded measurements included height, measurements of arms, trunk, length, and width of the head, as well as physical details such as the hair and eye color, body marks, and shape of the face onto a card along with a photograph of the subject in portrait and profile positions. The system was subsequently implemented by various police departments around the world.
In the 1890s, the New York Police Department experienced significant reforms, including establishing a new bipartisan police board that included Andrew D. Parker, Frederick D. Grant, and Theodore Roosevelt. As Chairman of the Board, Roosevelt instituted departmental changes that improved police communications. Thanks to his advocacy and the fierce support of the board treasurer, Avery Andrews, the police implemented the Bertillon system in 1896. Before the system, criminal identification consisted of a rogues’ gallery with miscellaneous information from clippings and other sources. Roosevelt and Andrews also oversaw the construction of a new photo studio at the police headquarters, expediting prisoners' photo processing. The first formal "mugshot" was taken in 1897.
In 1903, New York state prisons started adopting fingerprinting as a means of criminal identification. The New York Police Department adopted the practice in 1906 and created a Central Bureau of Criminal Identification in 1911. At the time, the New York Police Department held the largest photo gallery in the United States, with over 230,000 photographs of people who had been arrested. By 1921, the bureau had over half a million fingerprint records, and the Bertillon system had largely been replaced. The practice of photographing and fingerprinting arrested individuals continues to the present day.
As early as 1907, there were disputes about the privacy of arrested individuals whose precise measurements and photographs were taken at the time of the arrest. Some politicians argued that the cards should not be kept for individuals that were not subsequently convicted. Some newspaper clippings and documents indicate the removal of some cards.
In the 1890s, the New York Police Department experienced significant reforms, including establishing a new bipartisan police board that included Andrew D. Parker, Frederick D. Grant, and Theodore Roosevelt. As Chairman of the Board, Roosevelt instituted departmental changes that improved police communications. Thanks to his advocacy and the fierce support of the board treasurer, Avery Andrews, the police implemented the Bertillon system in 1896. Before the system, criminal identification consisted of a rogues’ gallery with miscellaneous information from clippings and other sources. Roosevelt and Andrews also oversaw the construction of a new photo studio at the police headquarters, expediting prisoners' photo processing. The first formal "mugshot" was taken in 1897.
In 1903, New York state prisons started adopting fingerprinting as a means of criminal identification. The New York Police Department adopted the practice in 1906 and created a Central Bureau of Criminal Identification in 1911. At the time, the New York Police Department held the largest photo gallery in the United States, with over 230,000 photographs of people who had been arrested. By 1921, the bureau had over half a million fingerprint records, and the Bertillon system had largely been replaced. The practice of photographing and fingerprinting arrested individuals continues to the present day.
As early as 1907, there were disputes about the privacy of arrested individuals whose precise measurements and photographs were taken at the time of the arrest. Some politicians argued that the cards should not be kept for individuals that were not subsequently convicted. Some newspaper clippings and documents indicate the removal of some cards.
Arrangement
The collection is organized roughly by Bertillon card number. The last two boxes are organized by last name.
Finding Aid & Administrative Information
- Title
- New York Police Department Bertillon cards and other material, 1883-1956 (bulk 903-1939)
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Rossy Mendez
- Date
- 2025 May 8
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
-