Rogues Gallery exhibit gives insight into Victorian and Edwardian justice
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A new exhibition by National Records of Scotland brings you face-to-face with Scotland’s criminal past – from an infamous murderer to con artists, pickpockets and petty thieves.
In partnership with Edinburgh City Archives, Rogues Gallery: Faces of Crime 1870-1917 pairs striking images from mug shot albums with carefully selected extracts from trial records to convey a unique insight into criminal justice in the Victorian and Edwardian eras.
Documents displayed for the first time take you into the courtrooms of the past to meet a parade of robbers, fraudsters, embezzlers and sheep rustlers, and inside the trial of infamous Edinburgh poisoner Eugène Chantrelle in 1878, reputedly the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s notorious Mr Hyde.
Remarkable documents also offer a snapshot of the early years of forensic photography, including the footprints that helped to convict serial burglar of stately homes John Aitken Swanston in 1909.
Tim Ellis, chief executive, NRS, said: “Our archivists have created a compelling portrait of Scotland’s developing criminal justice system. It’s an intriguing sample of the wealth of historical and cultural treasures contained within the archives at National Records of Scotland. Our partnership with Edinburgh City Archives is a great opportunity to work with a local archive and to highlight its rich holdings”.
Rogues Gallery: Faces of Crime 1870-1917 runs between 25 October – 1 December at General Register House, 2 Princes Street. Entry is free.
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