Convict Collection

H. M. Prison, Peterhead, Aberdeenshire
A view of Peterhead Prison and the North Sea beyond, Aberdeenshire. The prison opened in 1888 and was Scotlands only convict prison

DORE: LONDON: 1872. Newgate - Exercise Yard. Wood engraving after Gustave Dore from London: A Pilgrimage, 1872

Brixton Prison / Mayhew
Female convicts during the silent hour at Brixton Prison, London. All prisoners were required to sit quietly outside their cell

GEORGIA: CHAIN GANG. Chain gang prisoners and guards rest against a fence, Thomasville, Georgia. Photograph, c1890

Convict in prison cell turning hand-crank

Convict transportation to Australia
List of convicts embarked on the ship Merchantman from Portland to Western Australia, June 1864 Date: 1864

Inkerman Barracks, Woking, Surrey
A view of the entrance to Inkerman Barracks, Woking, Surrey. The buildings were originally opened in 1860 as an invalid prison for convicts not fit enough to be sent to Dartmoor

Aylesbury Prison Laundry
Interior of laundry at Aylesbury prison. Uniformed women handle the washing on trolleys and in baskets which bear the convict arrow insignia. Date: circa 1900

Convict Hulk Gallery
View of the convict hulk, " The Warrior", docked at Woolwich in London and capable of holding 600 men

Trial of the Detectives at the Old Bailey
Trial of the Scotland Yard Detectives at the Old Bailey - examination of the convict Kurr. Date: 1877

Brixton purgatory, 1822. Prisoners Theodore Hook, William Cobbett, Henry Hunt and Thomas Wooler on the treadmill at Brixton Prison

Convict Ship
The Convict Ship success in Melbourne, Australia

View near Woolwich, Kent, England, depicting the use of forces to build pontoons
MMM5480415 View near Woolwich, Kent, England, depicting the use of forces to build pontoons (disarmed vessels used as floating prisons); National Maritime Museum, London

A Galley under sail, 18th century (engraving)
5310201 A Galley under sail, 18th century (engraving); (add.info.: Woodblock engraving depicting a Galley under sail. By the eighteenth century galleys were scarcely ever seen outside)

Police records used to identify criminals
5307397 Police records used to identify criminals.; (add.info.: Police records used to identify criminals by the Metropolitan Police)

Female prisoners working in the laundry room
5307385 Female prisoners working in the laundry room.; (add.info.: Engraving depicting female prisoners working in the laundry room of the Fulham Refuge. Dated 19th century)

An ex-prisoner
5616515 An ex-prisoner; (add.info.: Portrait of an ex-prisoner, Mrs. Meredith, who was charged with counterfeiting. Dated 19th Century. 01/01/1876); Universal History Archive/UIG

A convicted prisoner being defiantly expressing his opinion of authority as he is taken from court to prison in a
5616295 A convicted prisoner being defiantly expressing his opinion of authority as he is taken from court to prison in a police van, also known as a Black Maria

Illustration depicting an escaped convict bribing a child to feed him, 1893 (engraving)
5616293 Illustration depicting an escaped convict bribing a child to feed him, 1893 (engraving); Universal History Archive/UIG

Illustration depicting a convict in travelling irons on his way to prison in Siberia, 1882 (engraving)
5616289 Illustration depicting a convict in travelling irons on his way to prison in Siberia, 1882 (engraving); Universal History Archive/UIG

Petty criminal in the stocks, Hong Kong, c.1905 (photo)
UIG5418883 Petty criminal in the stocks, Hong Kong, c.1905 (photo) by Unknown photographer, (20th century); (add.info.: A petty criminal sits with his ankles restrained in stocks)

Flogging of a woman convict in Russia as a public spectacle, using a knout, a heavy scourge-like multiple whip
1000958 Flogging of a woman convict in Russia as a public spectacle, using a knout, a heavy scourge-like multiple whip, 18th century

Southern convict system, gang of convicts at dinner (b/w photo)
8652929 Southern convict system, gang of convicts at dinner (b/w photo) by American Photographer, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Southern convict system, gang of convicts at dinner)

Warder inspecting a prison cell, 1889
3479511 Warder inspecting a prison cell, 1889; (add.info.: Warder inspects a prison cell, before locking up prisoner for the night. Wormwood scrubs prison, London)

Alexandrevsky Central Prison, Siberia, 1850
3479368 Alexandrevsky Central Prison, Siberia, 1850; (add.info.: Alexandrevsky Central Prison, Siberia, Russia.); Universal History Archive/UIG

American prison life, 1850
3479365 American prison life, 1850; (add.info.: American prison life: New York City house of correction, Blackwell's Island. Convicts on outdoor work.); Universal History Archive/UIG

Portland Prison Dorset, 1884
3479344 Portland Prison Dorset, 1884; (add.info.: Portland Prison Dorset Convicts working in the stone quarries. The prisoners were given education classes in the evening)

Prisoners walking on Sir William Cuban's treadmill or treadwheel in an English gaol
FLO4688711 Prisoners walking on Sir William Cuban's treadmill or treadwheel in an English gaol. Handcoloured copperplate engraving from William Henry Pyne's The World in Miniature: England

Warships at anchor, 1850
3479382 Warships at anchor, 1850; (add.info.: Warships at anchor at the mouth of the Thames awaiting the tide. The vessel on the right is a sailing vessel while the one next to her is transitional)

Convicts working, 1888
3479343 Convicts working, 1888; (add.info.: Convicts working in the stone quarries on the island of Portland. Dated 15th December 1888.); Universal History Archive/UIG

The convict hulk Warrior, 1850
3330675 The convict hulk Warrior, 1850; (add.info.: Engraving of the chapel on board the convict hulk Warrior'. This hulk held 600 prisoners who were used as labour in the government dockyards)

The condemned cell at Newgate Prison
5307394 The condemned cell at Newgate Prison.; (add.info.: Engraving depicting the condemned cell at Newgate Prison. Dated 19th century. 01/01/1850); Universal History Archive/UIG

An escaped convict bribing a child
5308461 An escaped convict bribing a child.; (add.info.: Engraving depicting an escaped convict bribing a child to bring him food in secret. Dated 19th century)

Revolt des prisoners dans les bagnes de Siberia (mine) (katorga) (prisoners in Siberian katorga camps)
ELD4965813 Revolt des prisoners dans les bagnes de Siberia (mine) (katorga) (prisoners in Siberian katorga camps) Engraving from "Les Prisons-de-l'Europe" d'Alboize et Maquet

Disturbed inmate, 1889
3479379 Disturbed inmate, 1889; (add.info.: Disturbed inmate of Woking jail placed in the padded cell. 7th September 1889.); Universal History Archive/UIG

American prison life, 1850
3479367 American prison life, 1850; (add.info.: American prison life: New York City house of correction, Blackwell's Island. Convicts returning from outdoor work.); Universal History Archive/UIG

American prison life, 1850
3479366 American prison life, 1850; (add.info.: American prison life: New York City house of correction, Blackwell's Island.); Universal History Archive/UIG

A convict in travelling irons
5307381 A convict in travelling irons.; (add.info.: Engraving depicting a convict in travelling irons on his way to a Siberian prison. Dated 19th century. 01/01/1850); Universal History Archive/UIG

Illustration depicting a convicted prisoner defiantly expressing his opinion of authority as he is taken away
5308938 Illustration depicting a convicted prisoner defiantly expressing his opinion of authority as he is taken away from court to prison in a police van

Illustration depicting a prisoner in his cell picking oakum, 1888 (engraving)
5616304 Illustration depicting a prisoner in his cell picking oakum, 1888 (engraving); Universal History Archive/UIG

Duties towards the homeland: Freedom - Equality - Fraternity. Republican currency
DUV4212766 Duties towards the homeland: Freedom - Equality - Fraternity. Republican currency. Engraving in " The unique book of morality and civic instruction

Convict hulk, 1826
3479381 Convict hulk, 1826; (add.info.: Convict hulk at Deptford. Engraving by George Cooke after painting by Samuel Prout, 1826.); Universal History Archive/UIG

Women prisoners, 1889
3479358 Women prisoners, 1889; (add.info.: Women prisoners working in the laundry. Fulham refuge, London. From a print published London 1889.); Universal History Archive/UIG

Women prisoners, 1889
3479357 Women prisoners, 1889; (add.info.: Women prisoners working the pump during fire drill - Fulham Refuge, London. Illustration published London, 1889.); Universal History Archive/UIG

Carpenter's shop, 1884
3479342 Carpenter's shop, 1884; (add.info.: Carpenter's shop in Portsmouth prison, Hampshire, England. Convicts working under supervision)

Convicted prisoner, 1867
3479445 Convicted prisoner, 1867; (add.info.: Convicted prisoner defiantly expressing his opinion of authority as he is taken from court to prison in a police van a black Maria illustrated by)

Transportation: Convict in chains bidding farewel, perhaps for every, before being rowed out to join the convict ship
537640 Transportation: Convict in chains bidding farewel, perhaps for every, before being rowed out to join the convict ship bound for Australia

Huntingdon County Gaol and House of Correction, England, built c1828 to design by William Wilkins
530251 Huntingdon County Gaol and House of Correction, England, built c1828 to design by William Wilkins. Radiating principle: Treadmills for grinding corn and raising water worked by prisoners

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"Behind Bars: A Glimpse into the World of Convicts" Step inside H. M. Prison, Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, and witness the harsh reality faced by those deemed unfit for society. Transport yourself to DORE: LONDON: 1872. Newgate - Exercise Yard, as depicted in a haunting wood engraving by Gustave Dore. Feel the weight of confinement and despair etched on every face. Explore Brixton Prison through Mayhew's eyes, delving into the depths of its walls where hope is scarce and desperation lingers. Observe a convict in his prison cell turning a hand-crank; an endless cycle symbolizing both punishment and redemption. Travel to Inkerman Barracks, Woking, Surrey – a place that once held convicts who sought solace within its confines while paying their dues to society. Unearth the stories transportation to Australia; tales of lives forever changed as they embarked on treacherous journeys across vast oceans. Enter Aylesbury Prison Laundry where monotonous labor becomes an escape from thoughts that haunt these lost souls day after day. Peer into the eerie halls Hulk Gallery; remnants of past lives now reduced to mere artifacts displayed for curious eyes seeking glimpses into history's dark corners. Witness justice unfold at the Trial of Detectives at Old Bailey; where guilt or innocence hangs in delicate balance amidst whispers and secrets untold. Experience Brixton purgatory in 1822 – a time when souls were trapped between freedom and captivity, yearning for redemption yet shackled by their own mistakes. Imagine life aboard a Convict Ship – cramped quarters filled with broken dreams but also flickers of resilience as each soul clings onto hope like young man holding onto a fence against raging tides. Convict - not just a word but an embodiment of struggle, remorse, survival, and ultimately transformation.