Photographer Unknown, Prisoners in Wormwood Scrubs, c. 1890
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Photographer Unknown, Prisoners in Wormwood Scrubs, c. 1890
From the National Media Museum:
A page from an album of criminal register photographs taken in Wormwood Scrubs prison, London, by an unknown photographer, c. 1890.
The prisoners hold up their hands to show any identifying features, such as tattoos or missing fingers. A mirror placed on their right shoulder captures their profile.
The use of photography to record known criminals, the ‘mug shot’, had been in evidence as early as the 1840s. In 1871, the Prevention of Crimes Act made it a legal requirement that all persons arrested for a crime must have their photographs taken.
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