Least Wanted: A Century of American Mugshots

by Mark Michaelson (Editor), Bob Nickas (Introduction), Steven Kasher (Editor)

Punks, sneaks, mooks and miscreants. Hookers, stooges, grifters and goons. Men and women, elderly and adolescent, rich and poor, but mostly poor. These are the Least Wanted. Their portraits make up a small part of Mark Michaelson's collection of over 10,000 American mugshots from the 1870s to the 1960s. Created as utilitarian instruments, and meant to be destroyed when obsolete, they survive as remnants of a bygone era of hard-copy originals, extraordinary visual windows on the past, and riveting physical artifacts, often accompanied by municipal ephemera. They are glued to cards and manuscripts, typed on and rubber stamped. Each suspect has been measured and fingerprinted, documented and classified. Bored, sheepish, proud, coy, tough, defiant, bounced, bloodied, bruised, broken and innocent faces--innocent until proven guilty--stare back at the camera with unmistakable individuality. This is central casting for the Late Late Show of unvarnished reality, and the lineup is full of small-timers, those who have fallen through the cracks. Each subject, each image, is a person, a portrait, a trace, a crime, a clue, a moment, an expression, a frame, a mustache, a mother, a father, a son or a daughter. Each image is evidence, documentation. A record of people and of stories dismissed by history and rescued here. A century of American souls, filed and forgotten, until now. Contributors include Ian McEwan and New Yorker contributor Malcolm Gladwell.

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction, Art, True Crime, History, Crime

304 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2006

Reviews

[Brie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of mugshots (some with information about the person photographed) that the author had collected over a 10 year period. It is fascinating to look at the photos since mugshots were one of the first uses of photography.

It is interesting to look at the people in the photos and wonder if they became hardened criminals, died young, or what caused them to commit the crimes they did. I was really interested to see many of the mugshots in the book were from the city I am currently living in.

People who enjoy the history of photography, history of law enforcement, or just plain history will enjoy this book. There are no famous people mugshots in it, just ordinary, "least wanted", people who commit a crime and were taken photos of for records. Still, it is interesting to look at the photos and think about the people within them.

[R.Friend · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a collector of odd things myself, I was immediately intrigued by the idea of Mark Michaelson's collection of historical American mugshots from the 1870s–1960s, which I'd first stumbled across on Flickr. Michaelson is also a noted art director, and it's readily apparent that this book was designed as a labor of love rather than a hastily assembled collection of images. He does a wonderful job of showcasing not only the photos themselves, but the surrounding ephemera—handwritten and typed police notes; fingerprints; stamped forms... it's a gritty, immersing experience.

Fortunately, there's also a context to most of these mugshots; some literally tell the story of lengthy crime careers—sequences of multiple arrest records show certain miscreants aging before your very eyes—but all offer surprisingly striking portraits that transcend time. A very well-presented book from cover to cover.

[Jennifer Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Poignant. You just stare at these people and wonder what happened to them, where are they now?

[Sabur76 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. Especially the montages that start with a young kid and end with a middle aged sad sack loser.

[Clover · Rating 5 out of 5]

outstanding, those photos speak for themselves!

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Michaelson did a terrific job of putting together this fascinating collection. A peek back in time. Amazing book. Right up there with Weegee's work and Luc Sante's collection in Evidence.

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing book. great to just have. to be able to pick it up and look through at any time.