Menswear & Mugshots from the 1920s
Blown away by the haunting beauty and the alluring attire of these vintage mugshots from the 1920′s. It’s wild to think about opium dealers and burglars wearing peak lapels and knit ties but the photos don’t lie. Rap sheets confessing delinquencies out of a McCarthy novel like, ”consorts with prostitutes’ and frequents hotels and wine bars in the vicinity of the Haymarket,” add to the imagery.
Not only are the images from the The Sydney Justice & Police Museum eerie and beguiling but some of the felonious charges are truly from another time, as one culprit is charged with being a, ”hotel barber, meaning one who books into a hotel, boarding house or residential and robs (or ‘snips’) fellow patrons, usually in the dead of night.”
You can explore more of these with criminal details at Sifter.
- DJS
They sure don’t make criminals like they used to! But criminals or not, it’s impressive to see such pride taken in one’s appearance.
Well done, JS- Cheers.
Much appreciated.
They might have been bad asses but all there pants are a little to high. A bit pain full, may be that’s where the badness came from.
This is truly a unique (and awesome) post.
Indeed. Thanks for the kind words.
Followed through on the link – truly enjoyed the reading!!
Totally worth doing. Truly from another world.
Certainly different to the modern ideal body – with their narrow chests and broad backside appearance.
Obviously fashion among the crimial classes in Australia was not a high priority, except maybe for the con-artists or others who needed to look important and at the top of their game.
Interesting to contrast with the sartorial elegance of organised crime in the USA at a similar time – how about some pics of Dillinger and Capone and their groups?
Awesome post!!! How’d you like to run into Walter Smith in a dark alley?!
Apparently, the Micks couldn’t stay out of the clink.
Such great photographs! Awesome post.
Does #13 in the link below look familiar? Your number 2 picture is a woman! Came across this today and was tickled.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2103393/Womens-mug-shots-1920s-Australia.html
Thanks for sharing!