Today I stumbled across an interesting article, on the somewhat sensationalist, lower-to-medium-brow MailOnline, about “Australia’s shadiest sheilas”:
"Murderers, bigamists, cocaine dealers and back street abortionists, all manner of vampish villain and fallen floozy scooped off the streets and photographed for police files. Their blank expressions hiding a catalogue of appalling crimes.
The incredible pictures- part of a collection of 2500 mugshots taken by New South Wales Police Department photographers between 1910 and 1930- give a fascinating glimpse into the role of women in the seedy underbelly of early 20th century Australian life.
Dorothy Mort, 32, shot her young lover, Dr Claude Tozer, dead on December 21, 1921, after he tried to end their romance. She was arrested after a failed suicide bid.
Elizabeth Singleton had multiple convictions for soliciting and was described in police records as a common prostitute. She was imprisoned at Long Bay but the details of her sentence have been lost.
Janet Wright, 68, nearly killed a teenage patient during an illegal backstreet abortion.
Emily Hemsworth killed baby son but could not remember details and was found not guilty due to insanity.
Eugenia Falleni...spent most of her life masquerading as a man. In 1913 she married widow, Annie Birkett, whom she later murdered. The case whipped the public into a frenzy as they clamoured for details of the 'man-woman' murderer.
Little is known of this older criminal Annie Matthews - criminal record number 634LB arrested on 3 July 1924."
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