Notorious criminals from the past make a stop in Waterloo
Rebecca Allison
CCE CONTRIBUTOR
Photographs have always been able to capture a feeling of mystery and intrigue. Each photo holds unknown stories and untold tales. These mysterious tales come to life with the current exhibit at the City of Waterloo Museum, located at Conestoga Mall.
Hailing from the Ontario Provincial Police Museum in Orillia, Arrested Images gives visitors a chance to get up close and personal with the criminals of the past with an astounding collection of over 100 mug shots taken between 1886 and 1908.
Walking along the portrait wall, multiple faces gaze back at you. Some suspects seem indifferent, given their situation of having their photo taken before being placed in a cell not much larger than a closet. Others seem confused or even proud to be photographed.
For example, Charles L. Green is calm and overdressed for the occasion, in a nice hat and well-kept suit and tie. His crimes included pick pocketing and penny-weighting – removing cash and belongings from the pockets of his victims, replacing belongings with worthless weights in order to avoid detection.
Another striking mug shot in the exhibit belongs to F.E. Larkin.
After his arrest in 1903 for ‘burglary of the 3rd degree,’ Larkin would have almost disappeared if not for the arrest of a Frank Larking, three years later for grand larceny. Mug shots from both arrests are similar in appearance and age. It would be later assumed that the photographs and arrests were of the same man. In the photograph, Larkin’s eyes, though shaded by a bowler hat, are unnerving. The sharp glint caused by the flash of the camera makes his gaze appear pointed and off-putting.
Other crimes seem unfit and out of place in comparison. A woman was charged with ‘elopement.’ The photo hanging on display was not a mug shot but rather a portrait given to the police by her distraught husband. She had apparently eloped with another man and had been missing ever since. No information was recorded regarding whether or not she had been found.
The centre and foundation of the exhibit rests in the tools used to capture these stories.
The history and evolution of the camera is portrayed through the numerous mug shots as well as a variety of vintage equipment. Past methods of photography such as the daguerreotype, cabinet cards or the tintypes, showcase cameras as an integral part of the history of law enforcement throughout time.
In addition to the portraits of those accused and the instruments used to document their arrests, the exhibit showcases handcuffs from their early days, the ever-changing size of cells, and the uniform of the OPP officers of the time.
Arrested Images takes visitors on a trip through history and explores the justice system throughout time.
Arrested Images runs at the City of Waterloo Museum until May 9, 2014. The museum, which is usually open Tuesday-Friday, has extended hours during march break.
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