Foreword


CAPTURED
Por traits of Cr ime
187 0 – 19 3 0
F O R E WO R D
CAPTURED: PORTRAITS OF CRIME is a new exhibition project that
explores the stories of men, women and children who were
incarcerated in New South Wales (NSW) gaols from 1870 to 1930.
Curated and produced by State Archives and Records NSW,
Captured: Portraits of Crime engages with photographic
portraits and descriptions of prisoners sourced from the State
Archives Collection of Gaol Photographic Description Books.
In 2016 State Archives and Records NSW undertook
a project to digitise formats within the Collection identified
as being ‘at risk’ due to the physical deterioration of the
original or technological obsolescence. The project’s main
focus was the transformation of audio-visual material such as
film, video, cassettes, magnetic audio reels and computer media.
However, the Gaol Photographic Description Books were also
included due to their fragility and heavy usage by people
accessing the Collection.
There are now 199 Gaol Photographic Description Books
digitised from twenty NSW gaols, and this achievement not only
ensures preservation of the original records, but facilitates
new levels of public access to and engagement with this unique
historic material.
The publication, Captured: Portraits of Crime, accompanies
two exhibitions—one presented at the Western Sydney Records
Centre from 8 September 2017 to 28 April 2018, and the other, a
smaller touring exhibition that will be hosted by partners in
regional and metropolitan NSW throughout 2017 and 2018. Created
8
Paperturn flipbook viewer