The Winnipeg Free Post published last week an article about a vast collection of mug shots the Winnipeg Police Museum has recently begun to digitize. The photos date from 1899 to the mid-1960s, and about a dozen of the older ones appear in the article.
The newspaper reported the museum holds about 40,000 images on file.
On the back of each photo is an information card with the individual’s name, crime, residence, occupation, and appearance.
In the case of one man, a painter originally from Baltimore, Maryland, accused of “theft from a dwelling house” in 1904, additional information was added about his personal situation. “Wife & children killed in railway accident on Whit Monday 1886 in excursion train near Chester, Eng.”
Unfortunately, the mug shots are not available online, and it does not appear the museum will be uploading them anytime soon.
A museum representative said in an email responding to my enquiry, “We have begun to digitize the files, but there is no decision made as to whether we will make them searchable, or if we will make them available for the public.”
Perhaps the museum will eventually develop a process to release the mug shots that are more than 100 years old. Even then, it may be too soon for some family members.
Photo requests
If you suspect your relative’s photo may be among the mug shots, you can submit a request by email for research, indicating what you are looking for, the information you have, and the purpose of the research. The museum will also require your full identity. Their email address is wps-museum@winnipeg.ca.
