Captured: Portraits of Crime 1870-1930, Margaret Higgins
Margaret Higgins, a 45 year old servant from Maitland, was photographed at Dubbo Gaol on 17 October 1905 while serving a life sentence for murder.
On 24 August 1905, Higgins’ unmarried daughter, Florence, gave birth to a baby in the home of her uncle...near Coolah in the NSW central west. The body of the infant was found in a local water hole by a traveller several days later. An inquest into the baby’s death was held on 1 September. The Coroner found that both Margaret and Florence 'were half witted...neither of them are quite right in their minds'. He ruled that the baby was wilfully drowned by Higgins with the knowledge of Florence. Both Margaret and Florence were charged with wilful murder.
Past exhibition
Captured: Portraits of Crime, 1870 – 1930
Explore the stories of men, women and children who were incarcerated in NSW gaols from 1870 to 1930. The touring exhibition engages with photographic portraits and descriptions of prisoners sourced from the State Archives Collection of Gaol Photographic Description Books.
Saturday 1 April
Archives behind the scenes - gaol photos
In this episode we show you the very popular Gaol Photo Description Books. The photos (or mugshots) of prisoners are from gaols right across NSW and date from 1870-1930
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