MUGSHOTS ON A MUG — FACES OF THE AMERICAN WEST

Three police photographs. Three encounters with the law. A collection of faces from America's criminal archives.

This black ceramic mug features three historical photographic records from the American West, preserving the distinctive visual language of early police identification.

THREE FACES FROM THE ARCHIVE

The Young Car Thief

A boy, reportedly only eleven years old, appears in profile and frontal views, wearing identification number 1540.

According to the historical photograph's published caption, he was arrested for stealing a car. His name and the precise date remain unidentified.

The Woman, No. 794

A young woman faces the police camera in two carefully composed views.

Her photograph bears the identification number 794, but her identity and alleged offence have not been securely established.

Wanted for Parole Violation

The third photograph shows a man in two views, accompanied by an official notice from the Washington State Reformatory.

The inscription reads: "Wanted for Violation of Parole."

Rather than recording a specific new offence, the document concerns an alleged violation of the conditions of his release.

THE POLICE CAMERA

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, photography became an essential instrument of criminal identification.

The familiar combination of frontal and profile portraits was standardized through the work of French police official Alphonse Bertillon.

These images were designed to record and classify individuals. Today, they also preserve a remarkable history of clothing, appearance, and the relationship between photography and institutional authority.

WHY MUGSHOTS ON A MUG?

In English, mug means both a drinking vessel and, informally, a person's face.

A mugshot is a photograph of a person's face, especially one taken for police identification.

These three archival mugshots therefore find an unexpectedly appropriate home on a coffee mug.

THE DESIGN

Three historical double-view photographs are arranged around a glossy black ceramic mug.

Their original identification numbers and official inscriptions remain visible, preserving the documentary character of the images.

Available in 11 oz and 15 oz sizes.

READING FRAMES — EVERYDAY ARCHIVES

Reading Frames is an independent visual-history project and YouTube channel exploring archival photography and the stories behind historical images.

Everyday Archives brings selected photographs into contemporary objects, inviting a closer encounter with the past.

Reading Frames — History, Reframed.