frozen in crime
Probably in 1930, May Blake was arrested for dealing cocaine in Sydney. This is just one of a fabulous series of Sydney police mugshots between 1917 and 1944.
Though I have linked to the Flickr collection because it is complete, some of the material – or at least the commentary – comes from an article by Peter Doyle in Scan.
He “teaches writing in the Media Department, Macquarie University. His recent publications include City of Shadows: Sydney Police Photographs 1912-1948 (HHT, 2005) and Echo and Reverb: Fabricating Space in Popular Music Recording, 1900-1960 (Wesleyan, 2005).”
Best of 3 also found them at Alec Soth; this contains some additional images from the set, which is all at PictureAustralia, in response to a search for “NSW Police Department”.
Sean at Sunbury Arts blogged about the exhibition, which now seems to be a historic moment in certain small but stimulating circles.
I couldn’t resist this -
Neville McQuade (18) and Lewis Stanley Keith (19) were arrested in 1942 gadding about in women’s apparel.
This is just inscribed “Group of Criminals, 1921″.
At the end of the collection are a group of crime scenes, all of which are wonderful in a macabre kind of way. Like this –
Described as: “Dining room with signs of struggle, scene of shooting murder of Alice Isabella Anderson by Maurice Reuben John Anderson, and suicide of the latter, at 75 Birrell St Waverley, NSW, 2 May 1944″.
October 5th, 2007 at 10:27 am
That second one needs to be put on an album cover immediately.
October 5th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
I do not think cocaine was illegal in 1930 – I am pretty sure it was not until the 70s that the controls were implemented
October 5th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
Thanks for these valuable links, much appreciated.
I have previously blogged on the catalogue and exhibition at: http://sunburyarts.blogspot.com/2006/10/city-of-shadows.html
October 5th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
And almost exactly a year ahead of me, to boot. I’ll add the link to the text.
October 5th, 2007 at 6:35 pm
This was a superb show of naive photography. I understand that most, if not all, were large format negatives and some of those glass plates.
I found the sharp dress and grooming of many of the crims’ mug shots remarkable, crooks had style in those days!
I assume that the limitations of the Justice and Police Museum (where I lost my motor cycle rider’s licence a long time ago but I wasn’t worth a photograph) made it necessary to display many images digitally, but some were shown as prints.
I highly recommend the Historic Houses Trust book of the collection if, like me, you like to hold photographs in your hands.
The banality of bad people!
Regards – Ross
October 6th, 2007 at 10:41 am
Hi, If any one is interested the City of Shadows book, it is available from http://www.hht.net.au (see shops) or your local bookseller should be able to order it in for you via our distributors (ACC in the US or Thames and Hudson in Australia and the UK).
Regards,
Peter
October 6th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
Barista:
A couple of years ago, the Central Queensland Military and Artifacts Museum in Rockhampton came by a printed book of hundreds of photos of released convicts from way back in the ‘thirties. It was a book circulated to all [major?] police stations so that policemen could be on the look out for potential burglars and criminals consorting with a view to committing further crimes.
It was a fascinating snapshot of Australian society at the time …. and one that knocked down a few myths and stereotypes about the period too.
It was to be added to the Museum’s display of policing memorabilia.
Sadly, the Queensland Police Service took the book away. Apparently, it was felt that having it known to the public that a great-grandfather was imprisoned for horse-stealing or for a punch-up in a pub might have embarrassed somebody today. However, newspapers of the time, reporting court cases – both lurid and non-lurid – were not taken away.
Pity. Another tiny part of our national heritage is now safely hidden away from public gaze.
October 8th, 2007 at 9:35 am
Great set of photos.
As a fan of simple but elegant technological solutions, I was particularly taken by the US mugshots at http://www.flickr.com/photos/hab3045/1087523998/in/set-72157601380954383/
Why take both fullface and profile photographs, when you can get both by standing the subject against a mirror?