Photography was still a relatively new technology in the 1800s when law enforcement agencies began using it to document suspected criminals. These early mugshots were often far less standardized than the ones people are familiar with today, yet they provided a great visual record of individuals who might otherwise have been lost to history. More than a century later, they offer a rare glimpse into both the justice system and the everyday life of the era.
The images collected here feature vintage mugshots taken during the nineteenth century. The clothing, expressions, and photographic techniques reveal details that go far beyond the crimes themselves. Some faces appear defiant, others exhausted or uneasy, but each photograph preserves a real person and a moment that has remained frozen in time for generations.
1. Bertha Liebbeke
Known as “Fainting Bertha,” Liebbeke would pretend to faint into the arms of well-dressed men and pick their pockets. Genius!
2. Ellen Woodman
In the 1870s, the 11-year-old girl was sentenced to seven days of hard labor after being convicted of stealing iron in England.
3. Goldie Williams
Look at that expression! Williams was arrested for vagrancy on January 20, 1898.
4. George H. Ray
This mugshot shows Ray grinning after being sentenced to 10 years in prison for manslaughter in the late 1800s.
5. Jane Farrell
Did the punishment fit the crime? This 12-year-old girl was sentenced to 10 days of hard labor for stealing two boots in the 1870s.
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6. Jim Ling
Ling was arrested on June 3, 1898, for running an opium joint. On the back of his mugshot, his occupation was listed as “thief.”
7. Henry Leonard Stephenson
This brazen 12-year-old was convicted of breaking into people’s homes in 1873. He was sentenced to two months in prison.
8. James Collins
On May 12, 1897, 23-year-old tailor James Collins was arrested for burglary. According to his record, Collins managed to escape from police custody before being arrested again.
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9. Charles Martin
Martin, also known as “Charles Davis,” was arrested in Nebraska for safe blowing and burglary.
10. Stephen Monaghan
Monaghan, aged 14, was convicted of stealing money on July 25, 1873. He was sentenced to 10 days of hard labor and three years in the Market Weighton Reformatory in England. Harsh!
11. Nannie Hutchinson
Talk about a rough day at work. Hutchinson was arrested in the late 1800s after being charged with the murder of her employer.
12. Bert Martin
Martin was convicted of stealing a horse in Nebraska’s Keya Paha County. During his time in jail, Martin worked at the broom factory.
13. Thomas ‘Prof’ Whitney
The OG grifter: Whitney was convicted of “obtaining money under false pretenses” after advertising his services as a clairvoyant, palmist, and astrologer in local newspapers.
14. Herbert Cockran
Cockran, a tailor from Fairmont, Nebraska, was arrested on November 24, 1899, on charges of burglary.
15. James Whitewater
After killing two men, Whitewater was sentenced to 17 years in prison. He reportedly embraced Christianity while in jail and “rolled in the grass for joy” after being released.
Interested in more content like this?
We think you’ll enjoy reading 20 Haunting Images That Capture America’s Forgotten Prisons, along with 15 Photos That Capture the Mafia in the 1970s and 15 Photos That Reveal the Mafia’s Power in the ’60s.
