Mugshots A Window To Criminal's Mind

CHICAGO (Wireless Flash) -- A mugshot is worth a thousand words.

Art.org

The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art in Chicago is currently hosting an exhibit on mugshots taken during the last century.

Just ask Robert Reinard, program director at the Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, who is currently curating the museum's latest exhibit "Least Wanted: A Century of American Mugshots."

More than 570 mugshots that date back to the 1880s are on display, showcasing everyday thugs who were caught
committing crimes, including assault, prostitution, theft, and murder.

According to Reinard, the mugshots are windows into the criminal's mind.

"The mugshots cover the entire range of human emotion," he said. "You get defiant looks, while others look playful,
embarrassed, or are laughing. Every picture I look at seems to reflect the person's personality."

Reinard is most fascinated by the evolution of the mugshot over the years.

"There are shots where the person is holding up a mirror at an angle so when they take a picture head on you see the profile reflected in it. It's very strange."

"Least Wanted" is on display until Saturday, April 12.