Vintage Photos, Genealogy & Crime Stories
In the summer of 1929, Lillian Douglas was partying with friends at a private apartment in Chicago when the police showed up, looking for two guys: Earl Reed and Winfield “Windy” Seeman. The cops claimed Reed, a career criminal wanted for murder in St. Louis, had been driven to Chicago by Seeman in his Nash … Continue reading The Apartment
A couple of months ago this image caught my eye when I saw it for sale at an online vintage photo fair. The seller titled it "Four mug shots framed in a mat with a prisoner stripe motif." Obviously, I wasn't able to examine it in person, but got in touch with the seller and … Continue reading An Odd Display
Before there were mugshots there were rogues' gallery photos. If you're interested in the history of police and prison photography during the 19th century, you're in luck! I'm giving a Zoom talk on the subject this coming Saturday, October 10, 2020 at 1:30 PM EST. The talk will be recorded, so if you have plans … Continue reading Photographing the Rogues: The Police and 19th Century Photography
Located on McNeil Island in Puget Sound, the Washington Territorial Penitentiary opened on May 28, 1875. It had a stone cell house with 48 small double cells but no kitchen, bathrooms, offices, or guard accommodations. There was no heat or running water. A wooden guardhouse was added that enclosed the only exterior door of the … Continue reading Faces of McNeil Island
Captured and Exposed 