Mugshots began in the 19th century — and these 30 vintage booking photos each hide a memorable story, from a seven-year-old on hard labour to a future dictator arrested for political agitation.
Mariia Tkachenko & Emily Nyoni
Photography and policing have been linked since the mid-19th century: mugshots date to the 1840s, and by 1888 they were widely adopted as a standard identification method. The two-part frontal-and-profile format is owed to French police officer Alphonse Bertillon, whose system formalised modern booking photos. Every mugshot reflects a story — from petty theft to grave crimes. Below are thirty such stories, each attached to a historical arrest photo.
At just seven years old, Julia Ann Crumpling appears as the youngest recorded inmate at Oxford Castle and Prison in 1870 — and is often cited as the youngest convicted criminal. Arrested for stealing a pram, she received a sentence of seven days’ hard labour, a stark example of how strictly juvenile petty crime was punished in that era. (RPBot, Calin Aneculaesei)
In March 1914 Jennie Lester was arrested in Phelps County and later sentenced to one to three years at the Nebraska State Prison for enticing to illicit intercourse. Resistant to arrest, she initially refused to be photographed; her final mugshot shows a defiant pose. (Nebraska State Historical Society)
In 1901 F. P. Robinson used a Mexican dollar to pay for a beer in Omaha. Because Mexican coins closely resembled U.S. dollars but were worth much less, Robinson received 95 cents change for a nickel purchase — a discrepancy that led to his arrest. (Nebraska State Historical Society)
Henry Leonard Stephenson was arrested at age 12 for breaking in 1873 and sentenced to two months in prison. His juvenile mugshot, like many others from the period, underlines the harsh penalties children could face for petty theft. (Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums; Business Insider)
Bert Martin, employed as a cowboy and jailed for horse theft, turned out to be biologically female — Lena Martin — who had passed as male to secure work in a small town. Once the truth emerged, records show Lena was transferred to the women’s division in September 1901.
Alv Lytle was sentenced to 12–15 years for a bank robbery but served 2 years and 7 days before another person confessed. The state later paid him $2,500 for wrongful imprisonment. (Nebraska State Historical Society)
Twenty-year-old Juanita McKamey earned the nickname “modern Joan of Arc” after multiple arrests for organising and speaking at free-speech protests in San Diego, 1912. Charged with criminal conspiracy, she was first sent to a juvenile facility and later jailed; she ultimately pleaded guilty and paid a fine. (Shayne Davidson)
Bertha Liebbeke, a notorious Midwest pickpocket, used staged fainting as a ruse to target well-to-do victims and steal their valuables while they helped her. She appeared under several aliases, including Bertha Siegel, as shown on her Omaha police court mugshot. (Nebraska State Historical Society)
Stephen Shock was convicted of grand larceny in Douglas County and sentenced to two years at the Nebraska State Prison in November 1916. He was released after 15 months, and later joined the U.S. Army to fight in World War I.
Minnie Bradley was arrested for larceny on December 11, 1902. Records list her profession as a “lady of the night,” note she wore a wig and that she refused to face the camera during booking.
Albert Johnson received a year-and-a-half sentence for grand larceny in March 1885. On arrival at the Nebraska State Prison, prison regulations required shaving of head and facial hair to reduce lice, so multiple photographic records were kept — including images taken before and after the shaving.
(Nebraska State Historical Society)
In 1903 the young Benito Mussolini was arrested in Bern and deported to Italy for inciting a strike; official records also cite lack of identification papers. Mussolini had fled Italy to avoid conscription and became involved with Italian socialist groups in Switzerland.
In 1906 Sergeant John Reid of Troop B, Tenth U.S. Cavalry shot Crawford town marshal Arthur Moss during an altercation. Reid fled, was captured, tried, convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to seven years at the Nebraska State Prison.
(Nebraska State Historical Society)
William H. Lee was sentenced to 6 months to 2 years in the Nebraska State Prison for bootlegging in December 1919, shortly after Nebraska implemented state prohibition. Records note he was temporarily released to visit his terminally ill wife and later returned to complete his sentence.
Frank Carter terrorised Omaha in February 1926—killing two people, firing through windows and shooting into public places—bringing the city to a standstill. Arrested, convicted and confessing to many attacks, Carter was executed by electrocution in July 1927.
Herbert Cockran, a tailor arrested for burglary on 24 November 1899, is shown in his mugshot with an officer holding him in a headlock — an odd detail recorded in police photos and files, along with descriptions of his build and features.
(Nebraska State Historical Society)
James Donneley, also known as James Darley, was a child labourer from Shotley Bridge. Arrested at 16 for stealing shirts and sentenced to two months, his record reflects repeated prior encounters with the law.
(Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums; Wikimedia)
On December 4, 1899, Frank Dinsmore allegedly shot his wife and their landlord in a sensational case involving obsession and supposed hypnotic manipulation. Convicted and initially sentenced to hanging, his punishment was later commuted to life imprisonment on appeal.
(Nebraska State Historical Society)
Jane Farrell, a juvenile offender in Newcastle, was photographed and sentenced to ten days’ hard labour for stealing two boots — one of many cases showing how young people faced severe punishments in the 19th century.
(Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums; Business Insider)
Amos Holloman’s criminal record spans decades; prison files show he served multiple sentences totalling 34 years for repeated robberies, with new ID numbers recorded each time he re-entered the system — his mugshots trace the changes in his appearance across terms.
(Nebraska State Historical Society)
John Duffy, a 16-year-old labourer from Newcastle, was arrested with companions for assault and theft; after conviction he served six months in prison.
(Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums)
In 1914 Alberto Interciago received a sentence of 1–20 years for “assault to wound.” His booking photos capture him with a thick moustache styled in the fashion popularised by Mexican revolutionary figures; later photos show him shaved.
(Nebraska State Historical Society)
In 1931 Jake Vohland tried to steal chickens from a farm in Gibbon. The failed theft (he fled with only ten chickens) led to his arrest and a one-year sentence at the Nebraska State Prison.
(Nebraska State Historical Society)
George H. Ray was sentenced to ten years for manslaughter in the late 1890s. His mugshot is notable for a grin—unusual in 19th-century photography when long exposures and the solemn conventions of portraiture discouraged smiling.
(Nebraska State Historical Society)
James Pappas was arrested on October 24, 1924, and sentenced to five years for arson. Prison records state he ran a general store that was heavily insured and allegedly conspired with an employee to burn it for the payout.
(Nebraska State Historical Society)
On March 31, 1901, twenty-two-year-old Nora Courier, nicknamed “Red Nora,” was arrested in Omaha for horse theft. Police records include a striking physical description — slate-blue eyes and a scar on her forehead — which made her image distinctive.
(Nebraska State Historical Society)
Mexican-born Lola Lopez and Cicerio Estrada were arrested for the January 9, 1922, murder of Stephen Pann in Sidney, Nebraska; Lopez admitted knowledge of the homicide and later served just over two years in custody.
(Nebraska State Historical Society)
After the disappearance of Eli Feasel, investigation led to the arrest of housekeeper Nannie Hutchinson and her son Charles. Initially released for lack of evidence, they were later rearrested when new clues and suspicious behavior surfaced; both were convicted of second-degree murder.
(Nebraska State Historical Society)
On February 15, 1898, three burglars blew a bank vault and fled with $2,400. A private detective tracked one suspect to the Sheridan Hotel in Omaha; the man using the name Charles Martin — also linked to letters addressed to Charles Davis — was photographed and detained pending transfer to Missouri.
(Nebraska State Historical Society)
Arrested for burglary on December 23, 1901, George Leonard’s boyish face, freckles and a slightly crooked silk bowtie contrast with the criminal charge; as a bookkeeper by trade, his appearance complicated assumptions about trustworthiness versus criminality.
(Nebraska State Historical Society)
