Mug Shots : An Archive of the Famous, Infamous, and Most Wanted

In 1882, Alphonse Bertillon created a scientific system for the identification of criminals and developed the 'anthropometric photo', showing the accused's measurements and physical markings.

Today, the mug shot is an essential police procedure worldwide.

This book presents over 250 booking photos spanning the history of this practice, including mob bosses like Al Capone and John Gotti; activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks; and even celebrities like Frank Sinatra.

With each photo the author provides illuminating commentary on the circumstances of the subject's arrest, the nature of the charges against them and the sensational trials that often followed.