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B4 Identification

From 1912, the French authorities required anyone with no permanent place of residence to carry a “carnet anthropométrique”. It was the first such document to list physical details and contained both a photograph and fi ngerprints. Other European countries soon followed suit.

A French “carnet anthropométrique” - a special identification paper for people of no fixed abode, complete with photographs and fi ngerprints along the lower margin of the document. Nothing more is known about the bearer of this document.
© Emmanuel Filhol Collection, Bordeaux, France.
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