30 Mugshots Of 1920s Criminals That Served When It Comes To Looks

The term mugshot is somewhat comical, as the word “mug” is a pretty lowly slang word for a face. How it ended up being part of the official label is anyone’s guess. Regardless of the “how,” the term mugshot has been used since the late 18th century, although, as these images demonstrate, the form and standards have changed over time. 

The real question is, why were all these convicts of the past so darn attractive? Is there some correlation between doing crime and physical charisma? Unfortunately, for better or worse, that seems statistically unlikely. Instead, these images simply stood out from the no doubt hundreds of others. 

The fact that they were allowed to pose and even retain their own clothes does mean that this was a sort of “golden age” of mugshots. There is something appealing about the modern iteration, of just a face and side profile, but, as these images demonstrate, certain looks are just no longer possible. 

So all in all, take this as an opportunity to explore the criminals and fashion of the past. While it might be a bit strange to take fashion advice from a hundred-year-old image of a convict, one can’t deny that many of them do look downright cool. If you overlook the criminal-elephant in the room.