…of the Justice & Police Museum
Posted in Femme Fatale on Jul 29th, 2008
Photographed 3 July 1924 at the State Reformatory for Women, Long Bay NSW
When researching the criminal backgrounds of the women photographed at Long Bay Gaol it is common to find convictions for drunkenness on their criminal record. The connection between criminal behaviour and alcohol or drug addiction has long been established and many different [...]
Posted in Femme Fatale on May 29th, 2008
Photographed on the 14 May 1925 at the State reformatory for women, Long Bay
The process of photographing offenders upon their entry to prison is highly regimented. In the early 20th century images were taken from a specified distance and a measuring stand was included in every full-length portrait to indicate the offender’s height. From late [...]
Posted in Femme Fatale on May 12th, 2008
Photographed 15 August 1923 at the State Reformatory for Women, Long Bay NSW.
I thought it would be easy to track down the stylishly dressed woman in this offender photograph. The name ‘Mary Harris’ has been scratched into the emulsion side of the glass plate by the photographer and is clearly visible on the right [...]
Posted in Femme Fatale on Apr 18th, 2008
Photographed 20 September 1922, Female Reformatory, Long Bay NSW
When I first found this image I was entranced by the fur coat which dominates the frame. It is thick, soft and so lush that you can imagine touching it and having your fingers sink deep into the fur. It conjured up a couple of questions: Would [...]
Posted in Femme Fatale on Mar 28th, 2008
Photographed 3 April 1916 at the Female Reformatory, Long Bay, NSW
The Justice & Police Museum contains a small, dark room called the Crime Museum. In it is housed a collection of confiscated weapons, the effluvia of deviance, collected by generations of police to educate new recruits. This reference collection served as a warning about the [...]