Aberdeen exhibition to cast light on lives of Victorian criminals

Aberdeen exhibition to cast light on lives of Victorian criminals

Matilda Brown, 25, jailed for assault and robbery

A new exhibition will give an insight into the history of some of Scotland’s most famous criminals, the Press and Journal reports.

Mugshots from the Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives dating from the nineteenth century will be displayed as part of the crime writing festival Granite Noir.

Mugshots are accompanied by cards detailing each crook’s background and crimes.

The archive includes almost 2,000 images from inmates at HM General Prison Perth in the early 1880s.

One of the prisoners photographed was 51,-year-old Ann McGovern, who was arrested in 1873 and given eight years’ penal servitude, having already served a four-year sentence for theft.

The entire exhibition will be on display at the Central Library and The Lemon Tree from February 22-24 and is part of the festival.

Aberdeen Performing Arts chief executive Jane Spiers said: “Granite Noir has really gone from strength to strength over the past two years and the 2019 festival is a chance to show how much the festival has grown.

“Brilliant writers from far and wide will share insights into their work in our author talks and panels, while aspiring authors can hone their craft at special writing workshops.”

Phil Astley, archivist, Aberdeen City Archives, said: “The mugshots which will be on display in separate exhibitions at the Central Library and the Lemon Tree come from the records of Grampian Police held by Aberdeen City Archives. The majority of the images are from just one album containing nearly 2,000 photographs of criminals incarcerated at HM General Prison, Perth, in 1882. The faces, expressions and clothes of the individuals convey hard lives lived in poverty and desperation.

“In a few instances we have managed to find contemporary newspaper reports of the court cases which add further depth to the otherwise brief details we know about the individuals.

“A talk on February 22 at the Central Library will kick-off the exhibition and will look at other sources relating to crimes and misdemeanours that are held by the archives.”

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