Fascinating Forensic Photography

The forensic photography archive of the New South Wales Justice & Police Museum has an amazing and fascinating collection of forensic and crime scene photography from NSW 1912 to 1964.

It contains an estimated 130,000 negatives – many of them available to view on their website which is under the umbrella of the Historic Houses Trust of NSW.

Featured Image (left) . Hand signals for motorists, photographer and location unknown c 1923 (FP08_0014_005)

The collection of course contains many of the expected mug shots, crime scenes etc (warning - there are images of deceased people that can be quite disturbing and haunting) but in it are some photographs which transcend their original purpose – to become works of Art in their own right.

Back view of man (presumably a detective) in a tulle skirt behind a stage curtain. Found in an envelope marked ‘Tivoli dressing room fire, 1945′. Record Number 31915

Mug shot of "Silent Tom" Richards and T Ross, alias Walton, 12 April 1920, presumably Central Police Station, Sydney. Record number 31188

Cellulose negative in loose files, image of shower room, location unknown, 1946, Record Number 36698

Domestic interior, showing kitchen, sink, mugs and utensils, inscribed "Hurlstone Park Murder 1074". Record Number 31162

Axe photographed in relation to an assault, City Central, Sydney,1949 Record Number 36427

Read the fascinating story of this collection on the “From the Loft” BLOG run by the curators of this collection at the Police and Justice museum. The blog has in addition to the interesting background stories to some of the images – the occasional very appropriate verse or poetry which catapults the images into a wholly different dimension, as in the image below from the collection via From the Loft: