I’m avoiding the pandemic coverage. Once you understand what you can/should do, it seems needlessly depressing to continue to watch the coverage. But earlier today, I heard part of a radio interview with an epidemiologist, i.e., a person who studies disease. She said that most people in her field believe that there is a devastating…
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The Convicts of McNeil Island Penitentiary Part 2
This is part 2 of the very unusual McNeil Island mugshots from the 1890s-1906. As you’ve seen, McNeil Island Penitentiary tended to photograph men in pairs, wearing their striped prisoner clothing, and with their name and prison number scribbled on the back. But there were a few mugshots that did not fit this profile. Or…
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The Convicts of McNeil Island Penitentiary
Mugshot March continues with a special double-header! Most people who follow this blog know of my great interest in mug shots, but these are special. Near Steilacoom, Washington, on McNeil Island in the Puget Sound, a prison was opened in 1875. This was the McNeil Island Federal Penitentiary, with space for 853 prisoners. McNeil was…
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