Mugging for Mugshots Over the Centuries by Christin Brecher

JENN McKINLAY: One of my favorite new mysteries series is the Snapshot of NYC mysteries by the very talented Christin Brecher. Her second in the series recently released and I'm just delighted that she's here to tell us about it! 

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CHRISTIN BRECHER: Mugshots have been a hot topic these days since the first American presidential close up for law enforcement was taken in August. In response to the highly publicized photo, Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labatt stated that “unless someone tells me differently, we are following our normal practices,” after which conversation about the purpose of these images has ensued.  

The practice of taking photos of criminals, along with their popularity in popular culture, actually came into use not long after photography began to be practiced in the early 19th century.  In the first half of the century, police in Belgium, England and America began to photograph criminals. Police in the U.S. created rogues’ galleries which were sometimes shared with the public so that citizens were alerted to suspected criminals.   

It was not until the 1880s in Paris, however, that the official mugshot was created.  Alphonse Bertillon, chief of criminal identification for the Pairs police, developed an official standard for these photographs to catalog criminals more effectively.  An expert in anthropometry (translation: the measurement of human individuals for the purpose of identification), he fashioned the tightly framed photograph of a suspect’s front face and side profile along with a written description of physical features lest a suspect change their appearance to disguise themselves. Bertillon called these photos “portait parle,” a speaking portrait, which is arguably a more elegant term than “mugshot,” a slang term which refers to a person’s face, or “mug.”  By the 1870s, the Pinkerton National Detective Agency had amassed the largest collection of mugshots in the United States.  Even Sherlock Holmes couldn’t compete with the practice.  In Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles of 1902, his client Lord Henry asserts that Holmes is “the second highest expert in Europe,” behind Bertillon.  

The use of mugshots in the media has lent a certain cache to the practice.  Al Capone and Lee Harvey Oswald’s mugshots are as familiar as the criminals themselves.  The official photos of Civil Rights leaders, such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., added an element of heroism to their public persona.  And shots of our beloved and reviled celebrities have been fodder for entertainment.

Last week, the Corner Bookstore in New York City hosted a celebratory party to launch MUGSHOTS OF MANHATTAN, the second book in my new series, A SNAPSHOT OF NYC MYSTERIES.  After a few signature cocktails, Manhattans of course, guests enjoyed the book’s own step-and-repeat, a photo op of their choice of “mugshots.”  Among some of the most intriguing “suspects” was the Corner Bookstore team.  Nick, Robert, and Libby, in ascending order, stole the show along with dozens of photos taken.  (PHOTO ATTACHED)

The title, MUGSHOTS OF MANHATTAN, was inspired by my amateur sleuth, Liv Spyers, who follows her dream of becoming a portrait and events photographer in New York City.  When she stumbles across what is now two dead bodies in this fine city (PHOTO FINISHED is Liv’s first encounter with murder), she uses both her keen eye to observe her suspects’ behaviors and her photos from her work events to suss out the stories behind the smiles of her suspects.  Every amateur sleuth needs a super power which gives them an edge and Liv’s professional trade and personal drive to make things right for her new home town, NYC, help her.  Under the sharp eye of Liv Spyers, every photo is a mugshot, whether the suspect knows it or not.  If born in the 1800s, Liv might have sought work with Bertillon himself!

Some of the mugshot board choices from our launch party were:

- Karaoke Star, Crime:  Stealing the Show

- The Ringleader, Crime:  Inciting a Riot

- Wild Thing, Crime:  Disturbing the Peace

- Boss Lady (or man!), Crime: Making It Rain

- Wild Thing, Crime:  Distrubing the Peace

- Goddess, Crime: Too Damn Sexy

- Dancing Queen, Crime:  Busted for a Move

Which one fits you?

JENN: I'm most definitely a WILD THING (disturbing the peace - lol)!

How about you, Reds and Readers?

ABOUT THE BOOK:

With biting wit, a young lens, and satisfying sleuthing that’s “right in focus (Kirkus),” Christin Brecher’s refreshingly fun Snapshot of NYC mysteries has rising star photographer Liv Spyers living the dream in New York City when she lands an assignment with an award-winning pop star–until a murder means Liv must focus her camera’s lens into sleuth mode…

“A twisty-turny, witty and wonderful, mysterious romp through New York City that was a pure delight to read.” —New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay

“Brecher has a winner with this new series that will delight cozy mystery readers!” —Abby Collette, author of A Killer Sundae

Liv Spyers hits the big time when she lands a photography assignment with Grammy Award-winning pop star, the one and only Bisa. A huge fan, Liv is extra thrilled that her new boyfriend, Harry, will join her at the glamorous premiere of Bisa’s debut movie. But when the music icon’s estranged sister, Anna, threatens to turn photo ops into PR disasters during Bisa’s parties and pop-up concerts, Liv finds that the star-studded world she’s joined is filled with images she’d rather delete—especially when Anna winds up dead . . .

Bisa’s inner circle has secrets Liv must expose before she can bring the right mugshot to the police. And while Harry has a mystery of his own to solve, the two must navigate glossy stories that can be cancelled in a snap —before the killer strikes again . . .

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

As the author of two cozy mystery series - the NANTUCKET CANDLE MAKER MYSTERIES and the SNAPSHOT OF NYC MYSTERIES - Christin Brecher loves developing new characters and plot twists, spending days in writer-friendly cafes, and puzzling out stories and motives with fellow mystery buffs.

The publication of her first series, the Nantucket Candle Maker Mysteries, sprang from her life-long connection to Nantucket, a small, foggy island off the coast of Massachusetts, which is marked by its history in whaling and candle-making, its beautiful shingled houses and cobblestones, and its strong community. As for her newest series, a Snapshot of NYC Mysteries, she was born, raised, and still reside in New York City, a perfect place to stir the imagination and celebrate life’s everyday stories. You never know what lies around the corner in this town.

She is a proud member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America.

SOURCES:  

Wexler, Erin. “A Brief History of the Mugshot,” Smithsonian Magazine, 4/23, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mug-shot-history-180981922

Wang, Hansi Lo. “Meet Alphonse Bertillon, The Man Behind the Modern Mug Shot,” NPR News, 3/2016

https://www.npr.org/2016/03/08/469174753/meet-alphonse-bertillon-the-man-behind-the-modern-mug-shot

Brockwell, Gillian.  “Trump joins the lineup of history’s most famous mug shots,” Washington Post, 8/24/23

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2023/08/24/trump-famous-mugshots-georgia

Burack, Emily.  “The History of the Mug Shot,” Town & Country, 8/24/23

https://townandcountrymagazine.com/society/politics/a44819703/mug-shot-history-donald-trump/#