A PHOTOGRAPHIC exhibition at the Museum of Sydney takes visitors on a guided tour into the seedy underworld of the 1920s.
Underworld: Mugshots from the Roaring Twenties features more than 100 police mugshots taken in NSW between 1920 and 1930.
The 1920s ushered in rapid societal changes that opened up new markets and opportunities for criminals and allowed them to thrive.
The exhibition features mugshots of cocaine sellers and addicts, illegal alcohol dealers, small-time criminals, bosses, hired muscle and more – all of whom were photographed by police.
Suspects range from cold-hearted gangsters to wayward youths, giving a great insight into the breadth and scope of criminality at the time, from the emergence of organised crime and razor gangs to joyriders.
All images have been reproduced from their original glass negatives.
The exhibition will run until August 12 and there will be a floor talk at 2pm on January 14 and February 18.
- Museum of Sydney, cnr Phillip and Bridge streets; open 10am-5pm every day.
Phone (02) 9251-5988, sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/museum-of-sydney