Rare Victorian Mugshots from Exeter Prison Bought for £2,750...
8th September 2025
An extraordinary group of Victorian prisoner mugshots from Exeter Prison has captured the imagination of collectors, historians, and photography enthusiasts alike, selling for a combined total of £2,750* in Lawrences Auctioneers’ Books, Maps, Manuscripts and Photography Sale. All four lots exceeded their original estimates, underlining the rarity and desirability of such haunting material.
The photographs, dating from the late 19th century, offered an unflinching window into the world of Exeter Gaol at a time when photography itself was still a new and experimental tool. Among the highlights was a ledger leaf containing 48 silver gelatin portraits of prisoners, each carefully mounted and captioned with their names and identifying plaques. Other related sheets offered further examples from the same period.
What made these images particularly fascinating to bidders was their context. At a time when very few working-class people ever had the chance to be photographed, these mugshots provide a rare record of individuals who would otherwise have remained invisible to history. Their expressions (sometimes defiant, sometimes weary, sometimes resigned) hint at untold stories of hardship, crime, and survival in Victorian England.
The practice of photographing prisoners was a relatively recent development in the 1870s–1880s, pioneered to help police forces recognise repeat offenders and keep track of so-called “tramps and strangers” who moved between towns. A governor of the time even remarked that “photography is unquestionably a very useful auxiliary and should be brought into prison use generally.” These Exeter examples represent one of the earliest local adoptions of that innovation, and their survival more than 140 years later is remarkable.
Interest was strong online, with multiple bidders fighting for the chance to own these rare survivals of social and criminal history. For some, the appeal lay in their value as early photographic records. For others, it was the human element: a connection to real lives once documented, judged, and then largely forgotten.
The final total of £2,750* reflects not only the scarcity of such items but also the growing appetite among collectors for historical photographs that bridge the worlds of art, social history, and criminology. Lawrences book specialist, Sophie observed, “These images are more than just mugshots, they are faces of people who would otherwise have vanished from the historical record. They speak to the power of photography to preserve, to document, and to remind us of lives lived on the margins.”
With this sale, the Exeter prison mugshots have secured new custodians who will ensure these faces of the forgotten continue to intrigue, unsettle, and inspire curiosity for generations to come.
If you wish to consign to our next Books, Maps, Manuscripts & Photography sale, get in touch with our specialists who are readily available for your enquiries.
(*Total price includes four lots, with buyers premium added)
