Shortly after photography was introduced, mug shots made an appearance.
These informal portraits, which date back to the early 1840s, were used by law enforcement agencies and victims to identify individuals who had been arrested.
These early mug shots look natural, almost like street shots, unlike the present booking mugs with chest-to-top-of-the-head framing and stiff-looking subjects clutching identification numbers under their chin.
Vintage mug shots are more relaxed because there were no photographic guidelines at that time. Both the subject and photographer had a great deal of leeway to express themselves.
These early examples often come across more as portrait photos or frozen moments in time and less as a means of identifying criminals. Here's a gallery of mug shots — see if you agree.