A mug shot is a photograph of an arrested suspect or convicted criminal. The police have used them to create identification records since the middle of the 19th Century. However, they are much more than bureaucratic documents. Mug shots are captivating images that can capture emotions. Possibly this is due to the interesting questions they raise: What crime did this person commit? Were they guilty? Do they look like a criminal? How do they look? How did they get there?
These late 19th Century mugshots from New Zealand Police Museum answer some of the above questions and tell stories behind these photographs. These mug shots also give us a rich window into the New Zealand Police’s history, the people in the images, and what criminal identification means in New Zealand.
The New Zealand Police Force was officially established on September 1, 1886, and they began collecting photographs of prisoners that same year. The first pictures look very different from modern mug shots. This was primarily due to the lack of officially trained police photographers in New Zealand. Instead, the police used commercial photographers and amateur camera enthusiasts to take the mug shots. As a result, the style of early mug shots in the New Zealand Police Museum collection varies significantly from one photograph to the next. A common feature of mug shots is the display of criminals’ hands. Fingers missing, scarring, and the general shape and condition of the prisoners’ hands can all aid in identifying a suspect. Having hands in mug shots provided another way for police to identify suspects in 1886, before fingerprinting was introduced.
#1 Ah Chop (b. 1854, China). Charged with attempted larceny and sentenced to 2 years in gaol on April 9, 1889 (Invercargill).
#2 Alex Haddlestone alias Fiddlestone/Thomas Edwards/Edmunds/Allan (b. 1861, New Zealand). Charged with larceny and sentenced to 18 months in gaol on October 24, 1886 (Blenheim).
#3 Alfred Hyde (b. 1836, Denmark). Charged with forgery & uttering and sentenced to 3 years in gaol on January 7, 1886 (Auckland).
#4 Alfred Langley (b. 1837, England). Charged with illegal gaming and sentenced to 1 month in gaol on March 20, 1889 (Christchurch).
#5 Alick Evan McGregor (b. 1869, India). Charged with larceny and sentenced to 1 month in gaol on April 15, 1887 (Hastings).
#6 Amy Bock alias Laing (b. 1861, Victoria). Charged with false pretences and sentenced to 1 months in gaol on April 30, 1886 (Christchurch).
#7 Andrew Dawson (b. 1865, New Zealand). Charged with larceny and sentenced to 6 months in gaol on March 29, 1888 (Napier).
#8 Andrew Munro alias Richard/Richards (b. 1839, USA). Charged with traveling by steamer without paying his fare and sentenced to 1 month in gaol on January 30, 1886 (Auckland). Photograph taken on February 22, 1886.
#9 Aporo Paerata (b. 1855, Gisborne, NZ). Charged with murder and sentenced to death on June 13, 1887 (Gisborne).
#10 Arthur Dawson (b. 1853, England). Charged with unlawfully wounding and sentenced to 6 months in gaol on January 5, 1886 (Auckland).
#11 Arthur Morton (b. 1857, USA). Charged with false pretenses and sentenced to 4 months in gaol on February 20, 1886 (Auckland).
#12 Arthur Robert Howard (b. 1850, Scotland). Charged with attempting to obtain money by false pretenses and sentenced to 2 years in gaol on April 5, 1886 (Christchurch).
#13 Bernard Herman (b. 1836, Ireland). Charged with embezzlement and sentenced to 6 months on February 21, 1889 (Christchurch). Described as having scars on his right leg and his back, and a deformed right little finger.
#14 Charles Cardiff Flanigan (b. 1845, Ireland). Charged with breaking & entering and sentenced to 9 months on October 9, 1885 (Auckland). Described as having a bullet wound his lower right arm, 1886
#15 Charles Fowler (b. 1851, England). Charged with housebreaking and sentenced to 5 years on October 6, 1888 (Dunedin). A cook by trade. Described as having no middle finger on his right hand and missing front teeth, 1888
#16 Charles Johnson (b. 1863, Germany). Charged with breaking & entering and sentenced to 4 months in gaol on January 4, 1887. Previous charged for being illegally on board a yacht, 1887
#17 Charles Le Fobel, alias Le Fauvre/Fable/Foubel/French Charley (b. 1834, France). Charged with vagrancy and sentenced to 1 month in gaol on March 24, 1887 (Woodville).
A cook by trade, described as having a sailor, flag, anchor and female tattooed on his right arm, and four flags, a star and a shield on his left arm. He also has two bullet wounds on his right thigh, and previous convictions for vagrancy, larceny and sheep stealing. Photograph taken on April 6, 1887.
