The 1912 caption reads: "Vidocq escapes in sight of police. On the day of his trial, Vodocq, while waiting in a small room, put on the hat and cloak of a gendarme, or policeman, who had left them there while he entered the court. Then, taking a prisoner by the arm, Vidocq passed out." Eugene-Francois Vidocq (1775 -1857) was a French criminal turned criminalist, whose life story inspired several writers, including Victor Hugo, Edgar Allan Poe and Honore de Balzac. The former criminal became the founder and first director of the crime-detection S¡Ô?rete nationale as well as the head of the first known private detective agency. Vidocq is considered to be the father of modern criminology and of the French police department.[3] He is also regarded as the first private detective.