These 1910s New York Crime Scene Photos Were Never Meant for the Public

Aug 23, 2024

A black and white image showing an individual lying face down on the ground in a construction site. The person is wearing work clothes and appears to be surrounded by construction materials. The scene suggests a potentially serious incident or accident. — A sailor found dead in New York with a bottle of whisky, May 2, 1917.

These macabre set of photographs taken by the New York City Police Department in the 1910s were used to solve grisly murders and were never meant for public consumption.

Warning: This article contains violent and graphic crime scene photos. Viewer discretion is advised.

In fact, these photographs were supposed to have been dumped into Hudson Bay but were instead forgotten about until they were unearthed 100 years later during a renovation at the former NYPD headquarters.

A black and white image shows a disheveled man lying on a messy bed in a small, sparsely furnished room. The man is partially dressed, with his shirt open and one shoe off, suggesting a state of distress or exhaustion. The room appears grim and unkempt. — The body of Antonio Pemear in Hudson Ave, Brooklyn, New York who was murdered in his residence, December 19, 1915.

A black-and-white image of a man lying unconscious or possibly deceased on a concrete floor, surrounded by scattered playing cards and papers. He is wearing a striped shirt and dark pants, and appears to have fallen between two pieces of furniture. — A homicide victim lying in a bar or restaurant, circa 1916.

Black and white image of a man lying unconscious or deceased in a narrow, ornate entryway. He is dressed in a suit and tie, with one arm extended. A hat lies on the tile floor nearby. His surroundings include decorative tiles and detailed wooden doors. — A man lies dead in a hallway, New York, circa 1916.

In the early 20th century, police photographers used special tripods with cameras suspended above the victim to get overhead shots. The tripod legs are visible in every overhead shot.

When rediscovered, the photos were collated into a book called Murder in the City, New York, 1910–1920 by Wilfried Kaute and released in 2017. Kaute explains the photos were “intended as purely objective documentation of crimes and offer little to no personal identification of the victims.”

A black-and-white photo of a head sculpture featuring a slightly tilted head with exaggerated facial features, wide eyes, closed lips, and wearing a beret. The sculpted head has a cloth scarf around its neck and is set against a plain background. — A skeleton fitted with features made from wax in order to identify the slain party, New York, circa 1910s.

A black-and-white photograph showing a person lying motionless on the sidewalk in front of a row of storefronts. One person is walking away in the background. The image conveys a somber street scene with an air of desolation and neglect. — A man lies dead outside a cafe, New York, circa 1910s.

A black and white photo depicting a crime scene at night. Two men in coats and hats stand near a metal barrel lying on the ground with a body inside. A vintage car with a visible license plate number 106-933 is parked nearby, and a crowd is gathered in the background. — A body inside a barrel that was found in a field, New York.

Black and white photo of a shirtless man lying on his back on a tilted platform. The man has short hair and appears to be unconscious or resting with his eyes closed. There is a visible crack in the image running diagonally. — Close-up victim of a male homicide victim, circa 1916.

Some details about the slain are noted such as their name, the location of the crime, and causes of death which were written by the detectives investigating a case. One 1915 photo with the caption, “Double Homicide 708” shows a young, fully-clothed couple murdered in their bed.

A black and white photo of two people lying on a bed. A woman on the left is under a quilt, eyes closed, holding a hat. The man on the right, wearing a suit and tie, lies on his back with eyes closed. Bloodstains are visible on the bed. The scene is viewed from above. — An image of a dead man and woman with the title ‘Double Homicide,’ taken in New York, June 17, 1915.

High-angle shot of a person lying on a dirty sidewalk, possibly unconscious or asleep. They are wearing a long coat and boots. A hat with a few items inside lies nearby. The scene is dimly lit, with scattered trash and debris around. — A man lies dead with a devastating head wound, New York, circa 1910s.

Bird's-eye view of a disheveled woman lying on a striped mattress on the floor in a cluttered room. She appears to be unconscious or sleeping, with one arm raised and her legs outstretched. Nearby, a small table holds various objects, and the floor is littered with papers. — Circa 1915.

The images are symptomatic of the rapidly changing city that New York was in the decade before Prohibition. Between 1910 and 1920, New York’s population grew by nearly one million and city life was becoming increasingly crowded and dangerous.

In the early years of the 20th century, homicide rates in New York City were ten times more than that of the murder rate in London during the same era. Homicides in the city happened for many reasons including domestic violence, random fights fueled by alcohol, and particularly gang violence.

Black and white photograph of two men lying lifelessly on the floor of what appears to be an industrial setting, surrounded by scattered debris, chains, and machinery parts. The scene suggests a tragic accident, with both men wearing work attire. — The bodies of Robert Green, an elevator operator, left, and Jacob Jagendorf, a building engineer, right, found lying at the bottom of an elevator shaft November 24, 1915, after the pair’s alleged failed robbery attempt.

Black and white photo of an old bar interior. A man in formal attire stands behind the counter. Bottles and glasses line the bar, casting reflections. Another person lies on the floor near the counter, partially hidden, adding a dramatic element to the scene. — A slain man lies behind a bar as a piece of paper stuck to a mirror reads ‘Trust No More,’ New York, circa 1910s.

Black and white photo of a man slumped against a wooden barrel in a cellar, surrounded by large wooden barrels and tubs. The man appears unconscious or asleep. A wooden door and various containers are visible in the background. The scene is dimly lit. — The body of Domenico Mastropaolos, who was stabbed and slashed to death in a wine cellar on 294 Elizabeth Street, New York, circa 1916-1920.

A black and white photo shows a man lying on his back on the floor of a sparsely-furnished room. The room has a table with several bottles and two chairs around it. The walls are bare and cracked, with a hat hanging on a hook and shelves with sparse items in the background. — A homicide victim lying in a bar or restaurant, circa 1916-1920.

A black-and-white book cover features a man slumped against a staircase railing in an old, dimly lit interior. The title "Murder in the City: New York 1910-1920" is printed in bold yellow and white text at the top. The author's name, Wilfried Kaute, is at the bottom. — The grisly front cover for *Murder In The City* which collates early NYPD photographs, published by Thomas Dunne Books.

After a murder in the early afternoon near Gramercy Park, Manhattan — there was a public scandal in the city. This led to the Sullivan Act being implemented in August 1911. The law required licenses for New Yorkers to possess firearms small enough to be concealed. Possession of such firearms without a license was a misdemeanor, and carrying them was a felony.

Image credits: Photographs by NYC Municipal Archives/News Dog Media

Features

crimescene, crimescenephotographs, historicalfriday, newyorkcity, police

Discussion