Victorian Felons: The Ladies In Dock

We have been looking at vintage mugshots recently discovered in the archives of the West Midlands Police Department, including the oldest mugshot in British history. These photos come from Birmingham England.  I have a great fan of the series The Peaky Blinders and these mugshots originate in the period before the series in Birmingham.  Today’s Victorian mugshot feature two women in the late nineteenth century.

Ann Vickers (who is pictured left) was charged with stealing a pocket watch in 1862. This makes her one of the earliest mugshots on record.  The other woman is unknown by name or offense. However, they show the Victorian criminal element was not just male.