Sometimes when I look at old photos, I’m like, damn, everyone looked fly all the time. Normal, everyday clothes for people were the equivalent of our special occasion clothing today. Three-piece suits, gowns, heels, and fancy hats were what you got arrested in until probably the 1970s, and now your average mugshot fit has degenerated into dirty sweats and a t-shirt. I also feel like early mugshots, no matter where in the world they were taken, presented the accused as they wanted to be seen, whereas now, the cops have a way of making people look like convicted criminals (whether they are or not). These mugshots from 1920s New South Wales, Australia, and most of the men in these photos look very comfortable, and maybe even proud of themselves. The women look much more uncomfortable, which makes sense, because there is a lot more stigma for women who get arrested today, and far more in the 1920s. Many of the men in these mugshots look like this isn’t their first encounter with the NSW police. They look like they feel fly as fuck — and they do.
Photos via Vintag.es
