# Portraits of Thieves and Pickpockets

- By: Thomas F. Byrnes (1842–1910)
- Date: 1886
- Medium: cardboard, paper, linen (material)
- Classification: book
- Dimensions: height 289 mm x width 208 mm x thickness 43 mm
- Credit line: Purchased with the support of the Mondriaan Stichting, the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, the VSBfonds, the Paul Huf Fonds/Rijksmuseum Fonds and the Egbert Kunstfonds
- Museum: [Rijksmuseum](https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/object/RP-F-2001-7-1056--3c79bfec5d69238b57621923865512ac)
- Rights: [Public Domain Mark](http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/)
- Picture: https://iiif.micr.io/vzQDZ/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Tweens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Soon after its introduction photography was deployed to identify individuals. Thomas Byrnes ran the New York Police detective department between 1889 and 1895, and published this book, which he dubbed a ‘rogues’ gallery’, in 1886. It contained over 200 portraits of criminals and was meant to help constables and detectives recognize them.