A few years ago in Great Britain we had an anti drug campaign where mug shots of drug users were printed in newspapers and on posters. The mug shots were before and after types, showing the same person at their first arrest, then another photo several years later. Predictably the drug users aged horribly and lost all their teeth between arrests, but because of legalities in the UK the campaign only featured mug shots of American drug users.
Mug shots from Great Britain are altogether rarer. The mug shots below come from a police identification book believed to be from the 1930s. It was originally found in a junk shop by a member of the public and donated to Tyne and Wear Archives & Museums.
I don't know about you, but these British criminals look like fun to me. Affable and easy going, they're not my idea of reprobates, I'd be happy to enjoy a small glass of stout in their company.
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| Tyne and Wear Archives & Museums |
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| Tyne and Wear Archives & Museums |
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| The Suderland Kid |
