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'Sir William Herschel'
Silhouette of William James Herschel, eldest son of John F. W. Herschel and grandson of the more famous William Herschel.
William James trained at the East India Company college, Haileybury, before taking up a position in India with the company as a magistrate. There he discovered that every individual's fingerprint is different. His job as magistrate meant that he could use fingerprints in place of signatures as a more reliable form of idenfication as well as a means of overcoming the problem of illiteracy.
William James trained at the East India Company college, Haileybury, before taking up a position in India with the company as a magistrate. There he discovered that every individual's fingerprint is different. His job as magistrate meant that he could use fingerprints in place of signatures as a more reliable form of idenfication as well as a means of overcoming the problem of illiteracy.
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Object Details
| ID: | PAD3710 |
|---|---|
| Type: | |
| Display location: | Not on display |
| People: | William James Herschel |
| Credit: | National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Herschel Collection |