From the loft

The Justice and Police Museum’s photography archive was the subject of a couple of exciting public events held in September. Caught on camera: Sydney’s criminal underbelly, in association with History Week 2009, gave three unique perspectives on the photographs in the archive.

Head Curator, Caleb Williams spoke about the layered process of reconstruction that is required to understand events captured by the police photographer many years ago. Caleb’s visual tour of the archive featured poignant photographs and his in-depth examination of two murder scenes from 1945 and 1951  – using police gazettes, newspapers, and anecdotes from former crime scene cameramen – provided fascinating insight into the motives and methodologies of those who perpetrated the crimes.

Author Peter Doyle entertained the audience with stories of various ‘con-artists, pick-pockets and murderers’ whose features, clothing and surprisingly relaxed demeanours have been preserved in a series of astoundingly detailed glass-plate negative mug shots from the 1920s. Called ’special photographs’ by the police of the era, many of these images according to Peter, deal not so much with a city of shadows, but a city of scoundrels and in particular with ‘that most intrinsically Australian class of offender: the professional bullshit artist’.

Advancing an intriguing new hypothesis, Assistant Curator Rebecca Edmunds recounted the story of Eugenia Falleni, alias Harry Crawford, the famous man-woman murderer. Questioning Falleni’s presumed motive for the murder of her wife, Annie Birkett, Edmunds proposed a different idea of their relationship in which the couple lived happily with the truth until a tragic and unprecedented explosion of rage occurred at the Lane Cove National Park resulting in Birkett’s death.

The night held something for everyone and audience of more than hundred people mingled with the presenters over a glass of wine after the lectures had concluded.

A week later Peter Doyle joined us again for the launch of his latest book, Crooks like us. Friends, supporters and arts professionals enjoyed an amusing speech by barrister Charles Waterstreet about the book’s many virtues. Peter was clearly moved by the event, thanking those who offered additional research, Historic Houses Trust staff who worked on the project, friends and his family – including a special shout-out to his baby grandson. Many attendees later lined up for a signed copy of the book, others chatted over a glass of champagne, while the ABC filmed the event for Lateline. What an evening! The current Archive Gallery display, Crooks, highlights characters that Peter has researched for the book. Fourteen larger-than-life mug shots are accompanied by an explanation of the circumstances that brought each individual before the lens of the Sydney police.

Finally, in September a four-minute film Policing the Archive featuring an interview with Caleb Williams, as well as stills from the archive and footage of research being carried out within it, was broadcast by the History Channel.