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There’s something quite haunting, and yet beautiful, about these.
As the UK’s Daily Mail reported, the mugshots are part of a collection of 2500 snaps taken by New South Wales Police Department photographers between 1910 and 1930. They ‘give a fascinating glimpse into the role of women in the seedy underbelly of early 20th century Australian life’.
But we’ll let the pictures do the talking…
Top Comments
the majority of these people ended up contributing to others' DEATHS... why are commenters here sympathizing??
I agree with you, but there are always exceptions, especially for women in those dreary, sexist days.
I have worked with a researcher in Brisbane looking at women imprisoned in Boggo Road Gaol and have seen some great mug shots similar to these. Yes some of the women were just trying to get by in horrible circumstances (often they would swear at police, or taunt them to get locked up so they were away from their husbands who would beat them), but many were just crooks - just like we have today. It's easy to look back at the past with rose coloured glasses and imagine that everyone was just doing what they had to to get by, but there were some hard cold people who did terrible things as well.