A remarkable set of iconic police mugshots comprising some of the world’s greatest stars and famous personalities have been released in a never before seen colourised form.
The collection, including David Bowie’s 1976 jail photo for marijuana possession and Jane Fonda’s act of rebellion against trumped-up drug charges, have been brought to life in meticulous detail.
The pictures captured some of the world’s most well-known people during their worst moments ever, including actress Patty Hearst when she was captured after a year on the run with a group of leftist kidnappers, and legendary talk show host Larry King being charged for grand larceny.
Originally all taken in black and white, the photos from various police departments have been digitally enhanced by adding colour to each pixel of the picture and using intensive research to match their skin tones, hair and clothes.
Photographer Jason Baker, 40, from Boston, Massachusetts, used original photographs of high profile names such as music legend David Bowie, gangster Al Capone and actress Jane Fonda, with each taking up to 10 hours to perfect.
Jason Baker said that he was a huge fan of celebrities, and was intrigued by the photographs of stars in their worst moments ever and that he aimed to make everything as clear as possible and bring a whole new dimension to the photographs.
He said that he thought by adding colour the pictures told the stories a bit better and that hopefully, people would see new things in them.
Jason’s work has been widely acclaimed on social media, with users saying that the work gave a whole new dimension and historical significance to the previously seen photographs.
For the renowned drug trafficker Pablo Escobar, and crime boss responsible for hundreds of murders, being behind bars wouldn’t have been a pleasant ordeal, but this iconic mugshot from 1977, Pablo Escobar is seen smiling for his arresting officers at a regional Columbian National Police station in Medellín.
The circumstances of the picture, thought to be Pablo Escobar’s only ever mugshot, were unclear but it’s assumed his image of happiness came from knowing he wouldn’t be in jail for long.
It’s been reported that Pablo Escobar and several of his men were arrested after police supposedly found 40lbs of cocaine hidden in a spare tyre, but when it came to handling the case, it was pushed between various judges but none of them would touch it for fear of reprisals. Finally, it was dropped and Pablo Escobar walked free.
Iron Man Robert Downey Jnr battled drug addiction and spent time in jail in the late 1990s, and Mark Wahlberg served three months in jail when he was just 16 years old and was given a three-month sentence in jail for attacking two Vietnamese men while trying to rob a convenience store.
Al Pacino’s energy is fabulous and he’s delighted cinephiles in an astounding display of roles, to say nothing of the countless awards it’s netted him, but the star has also managed to escape the tabloids by keeping himself out of trouble and keeping his private life private, and handling things like the professional that he is.
Frank Sinatra had these scintillating blue eyes, as did Paul Newman and Steve McQueen, but unfortunately, some colourisation fail them, and all these stars had appeal in their own way, even Mick Jagger.
But why did the girls think that Mick Jagger and David Bowie were sexy in the 1970s?
I guess sexy is a matter of opinion and different people have different views and different perspectives of people they find attractive, but then I suppose people were drawn to them because they were attracted to their wild artistic rebellion that Robert Redford could never dream of having.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 