Captured: Portraits of Crime 1870-1930 - Flipbook - Page 20
CAPTURED
Por traits of Cr ime
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deal with minor offences. In some cases, the records of
particularly compelling cases could not be found, despite
considerable archival detective work. These and other factors
impacted upon the final selection of case studies presented
in the exhibition.
Over the years, the stories of some NSW criminals have
gained prominence and become enshrined in the state’s social,
legal and cultural history. These accounts are not the focus of
Captured: Portraits of Crime. Rather, it illuminates the stories
of ‘ordinary’ people, who, for one reason or another, were
convicted of criminal offences and imprisoned in NSW gaols.
Considering their stories through the lens of today, it would
seem that family poverty, homelessness, mental illness,
intellectual impairment or alcohol and drugs underpinned many
stories of criminality. Emotion, desire, greed, revenge,
gratification or the need for self-preservation, also played a
part. Crime was a way of life, an opportunity for some crooks to
make a buck. Childhood neglect set a path of life long offending
and institutionalisation in numerous cases. Major events such as
the First World War or economic depression underscored various
examples of criminal offending. Many men, women and children
simply acted in ways that contravened the laws of the day,
and their cases would not be prosecuted today.
Captured: Portraits of Crime offers tales that are each
unique, but they are also reflective of NSW society and the
structural changes that took place in the state between 1870
and 1930. During this time, NSW strengthened its position as a
self-governing British colony and, at Federation in 1901, was
inaugurated as the State of NSW. Tin, silver and gold rushes
peaked and troughed, and drought and economic depression took
hold in the late 1800s. The 20th century brought the motor car
and unprecedented advancements in transport, industry and
technology. Women gained the right to vote, labour, social and
political movements evolved and re-shaped society. Indigenous
communities were systemically dislocated, urbanisation and
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