Murder in the City: New York, 1910–1920 - Unveiling a Forgotten Crime Scene Photo Archive
In the early 20th century, New York City was a volatile, dangerous place, with crime and violence ever-present on its streets. Amidst this backdrop of societal change and criminal chaos, a fascinating and disturbing photographic record was quietly being created, capturing the often-brutal realities of the city’s underworld. A century later, these lost images would resurface, offering an unprecedented glimpse into the blood-stained history of New York’s criminal past. The result of this rediscovery was the 2017 book Murder in the City: New York, 1910–1920, compiled by filmmaker and photographer Wilfried Kaute. This collection of forensic photographs not only sheds light on forgotten crimes but also reflects the early days of crime scene photography and the rise of modern policing.
The Rediscovery of Forgotten Images
The story behind Murder in the City is as intriguing as the photos themselves. In the mid-1990s, a vast and forgotten archive of New York Police Department (NYPD) forensic images was discovered deep in the recesses of the Municipal Archives of New York. Thousands of glass plate negatives and vintage prints, documenting crime scenes from the early 20th century, had been hidden away for decades, seemingly lost to history. These grim yet captivating images had been taken by NYPD photographers from around 1910 to the 1920s, documenting everything from crime scenes, street murders, and accidents to fires and other moments of death and destruction.
These images were originally intended as evidence – visual records to assist the police in their investigations and prosecutions. Yet, over the years, they became forgotten relics of a bygone era of law enforcement. With advancements in photography, police departments shifted to newer technology, and older forensic images were archived, falling into obscurity. The negatives, some cracked and fragile, were stored haphazardly, never intended for any sort of public viewing. If not for this fortuitous rediscovery, these haunting glimpses into New York’s violent past might have been lost forever.
Once found, this collection of over 1,000 images became an extraordinary visual archive of life and death in early 20th-century New York City. Yet, it wasn’t until 2017, when Wilfried Kaute began curating and compiling them, that these images gained a wider audience. In his book, Murder in the City, Kaute provides a detailed and chilling portrayal of New York’s dark history through these photographs, revealing a side of the city that was hidden from public view for decades.
The Origins of Crime Scene Photography
The NYPD’s use of forensic photography in the early 20th century was pioneering for its time. The development of crime scene photography marked the beginning of modern forensic investigation practices, providing police with new tools to examine evidence and understand crime scenes.
By the early 1900s, the NYPD was growing more professionalised and methodical in its crime-fighting tactics. As part of these changes, the police began documenting crime scenes with photographs as a way to record vital details that could not be fully captured by written reports alone. These crime scene photographs, taken using large-format cameras on glass plate negatives, were cutting-edge for their time.
These photographers, often under immense pressure, had to skilfully capture the minutiae of the crime scene—the position of the body, the blood splatter, the surrounding area, and any incriminating evidence. The photographs also offered an objective record, a moment frozen in time that could be used in court to help establish the sequence of events. In this way, forensic photography became an indispensable tool for the NYPD, contributing to the rise of detective work and the scientific approach to solving crimes.
It is important to recognise that many of these crime scene photographers were not just documentarians of tragedy but also pioneers of a new method in police work. Their images served as a kind of raw and unflinching mirror to the violence that stalked New York’s streets during this period of great social and economic upheaval.
The Stories Behind the Photographs
The photographs themselves are striking not only for their subject matter but for the way they blur the line between documentary evidence and grim artistry. These images often have an eerie, almost cinematic quality, displaying the stark realities of crime and death, while also capturing a moment in New York’s history that feels both alien and oddly familiar.
In one photo, a body lies slumped in an alleyway, surrounded by darkened walls. The shadows and lighting evoke a scene reminiscent of film noir, even though this photographic genre did not exist at the time. In another image, an apartment appears quiet and serene, save for the lone figure lying lifeless on the floor. These moments of quiet horror seem at once mundane and otherworldly, a strange juxtaposition that comes from capturing the instant when life abruptly ends.
Some photographs show the results of gangland killings, the marks of violent criminal organisations that controlled much of the city’s underworld during this era. New York in the 1910s was a city in transition, shaped by waves of immigration, rapid industrialisation, and political corruption. It was a place where organised crime flourished, and police corruption often undermined law enforcement efforts. Gangs such as the Five Points Gang and Eastman Gang controlled territories and engaged in brutal turf wars. Meanwhile, the city’s teeming immigrant population lived in overcrowded tenements, where crime often found fertile ground.
Many of the crimes documented in Murder in the City are unknown to us today, long-forgotten tragedies of nameless victims. Unlike today, when high-profile murders might be dissected endlessly in the media, these cases largely slipped through the cracks of history, their victims remembered only by those close to them. Yet the images tell their own story—a story of violence, survival, and the relentless churn of a city that was both thriving and decaying.
The Legacy of Murder in the City
When Wilfried Kaute set out to compile these images into a book, his aim was not just to reveal the brutality of early 20th-century New York but also to highlight the role of forensic photography in the development of modern policing. Kaute’s book is a historical document in its own right, preserving these long-lost images and the stories they tell.
By placing the photographs alongside police reports and historical context, Kaute successfully reconstructs a city caught in the throes of modernisation, its police force grappling with new techniques, and its citizens facing the dark realities of urban life. The book offers a glimpse into the macabre world of early 20th-century crime, while also showcasing the evolution of investigative methods that are still in use today.
The legacy of Murder in the City extends beyond its pages. It speaks to the power of archives and the importance of preserving historical records, even those that may seem insignificant or too grim for public consumption. The rediscovery of these crime scene photographs reminds us that history often lies buried in forgotten places, waiting for someone to uncover it and bring it back to life.
In addition, the book serves as a stark reminder of the realities of crime and violence that have always been part of urban life, even in a city as celebrated as New York. The photographs reveal a hidden history, one that is not defined by skyscrapers and culture but by the struggles of ordinary people in extraordinary times.
Comments