21 Photos of Old-School Gangsters and Street Gangs
Before gangsters were glamorized by movies and myth, they were known (and feared) as shadowy figures carving out power in cities like Chicago and New York. From prohibition-era mobsters slinging underground booze to neighborhood crews doing the dirty work of organized crime, these old photos capture the grit and swagger that defined the underbelly of life in America and around the world. It also reveals how poverty and a lack of opportunity gave rise to the mafia — a world built on blood oaths, loyalty, and ambition.
1. ‘A Sharply-Dressed Al Capone and the Fellas, 1930s’
2. Mugshots of Two Smooth-Looking Criminals Linked to the Razor Gangs in Sydney, Australia, Circa 1920
3. ‘Chicago Street Gang, Circa 1915’
4. A Gangster Fires a Thompson Submachine Gun as Bullets Fly, 1930s
5. An Undercover Cop Punches a Knife-Wielding Thug in Glasgow, Scotland, 1971
6. Notorious Mobster Sonny Franzese (Center) Walks With Detectives in New York City, 1960s
7. Mobsters Hide Their Faces During Al Capone’s Trial in Chicago, 1931
8. Mob Boss Frank Costello Testifies Before the Kefauver Committee in Washington D.C., 1951
9. John Gotti and Fellow Mobsters Pose for a Snap in Prison, 1960s
10. ‘New York Street Gang, 1970s’
11. Al Capone and His Associates Walking Confidently Out of Court, 1931
12. Mobster Mickey Cohen Inspects the Damage After a Bomb Went Off in His Brentwood Home, February 1950
13. Mobster Joe Gallo Testifies in Court While Wearing Ray-Bans, 1950s
14. Charlie Birger and His Gang of Bootleggers Looking Mighty Intimidating During Prohibition in Illinois, 1927
15. Mugshot of Chicago Gangster George ‘Bugs’ Moran, Al Capone’s Rival, in Dayton, Ohio, 1946
16. Mob Boss Sam Giancana Arrives at Federal Court in Chicago, 1965
17. ‘Wiseguys (Mafia Men) Eating at a Restaurant in New York, 1966’
18. The Infamous Kray Twins (Ronnie and Reggie), Known for Racketeering, Armed Robbery, and Organized Crime in London, 1965
19. Mugshot of Charles ‘Lucky’ Luciano, Considered the ‘Father of Modern Organized Crime’ in the US, 1936
20. Men Line Up Outside a Soup Kitchen Sponsored by Al Capone During the Great Depression in Chicago, 1931
21. Infamous Colombian Drug Lord Pablo Escobar (Right) Poses as a Gangster With His Cousin Gustavo, 1980s
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