This picture that appears beatifully artisic is actually a police mug shot. It was taken in 1928 by the Sydney Police in Australia. It is part of a large photo collection available for you to browse and investigate on the NSW Police Forensic Photography Archive, Justice & Police Museum. Just type in 'Mug Shots' in the search section, and you will find plenty of fascinating photos with a short record of the crime and the sentence. Some tell wicked little stories, accompanied by the pictures they really spark your imgination.
A book collection of these photos has been made by Peter Doyle:
These pictures, Peter Doyle explains, of "men and women recently plucked from the street, often still animated by the dramas surrounding their apprehension". Doyle suggests that, compared with the subjects of prison mug shots, "the subjects of the Special Photographs seem to have been allowed - perhaps invited - to position and compose themselves for the camera as they liked. Their photographic identity thus seems constructed out of a potent alchemy of inborn disposition, personal history, learned habits and idiosyncrasies, chosen personal style (haircut, clothing, accessories) and physical characteristics."
I have stumbbled upon this great collection of photos in an article form the forensic psychology blog Psydoctor 8 - well worth to explore as well.
