19th-Century Mug Shots: The Face(s) of Counterfeiting

The police mug shot — that staple of tabloid life — was in its infancy in the late 19th century. The U.S. Secret Service, charged with investigating counterfeiting rings but lacking photo equipment, took their arrested suspects to formal portrait studios to have photos taken and then added to their case files. The Library preserves more than 1,200 of these. They offer a marvelous glimpse at how we lived and looked in days gone by. Read original article: Read More