1890s Mugshots Used a Mirror and Showed Person's Hands

Taken at Wormwood Scrubs prison in London c. 1890
by an unknown photographer

In 1871, the Prevention of Crimes Act made it a legal requirement that anybody who was arrested in England and Wales had to have their photograph taken. Suspects were required to show their hands in the photo, so any tattoos or other identifying characteristics might be visible and a special shoulder mirror was used to capture the front and profile of the face in one shot.

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