Penal Collection

Convict transportation to Australia
List of convicts embarked on the ship Merchantman from Portland to Western Australia, June 1864 Date: 1864

Dreyfus on Devils Isle
ALFRED DREYFUS French army officer and victim of injustice as a prisoner on Devils Island

Edmund Y. W Henderson
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL SIR EDMUND YEAMANS WALCOTT HENDERSON shown soon after he was appointed as Chief Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in 1869. He succeed the late Sir Richard Mayne in this post

Map showing the placings in Australia of The Tolpuddle Martyrs, a group of 19th-century Dorset agricultural labourers
5614433 Map showing the placings in Australia of The Tolpuddle Martyrs, a group of 19th-century Dorset agricultural labourers who were arrested for

A Hobart chain-gang, a group of prisoners chained together to perform menial or physically challenging work as a form
5614423 A Hobart chain-gang, a group of prisoners chained together to perform menial or physically challenging work as a form of punishment; (add.info.: A Hobart chain-gang)

Lieutenant-General Sir George Arthur, 1st Baronet, 1784-1854
5614422 Lieutenant-General Sir George Arthur, 1st Baronet, 1784-1854; (add.info.: Lieutenant-General Sir George Arthur, 1st Baronet, 1784-1854)

Map showing the arrest and transportation to Australia and Tasmania of the Tolpuddle Labourers, 1834
5614420 Map showing the arrest and transportation to Australia and Tasmania of the Tolpuddle Labourers, 1834; (add.info.: Map showing the arrest and transportation to Australia)

Facsimile of a letter from the wives of the Tolpuddle Martyrs to Lord John Russell thanking him for his part in
5614432 Facsimile of a letter from the wives of the Tolpuddle Martyrs to Lord John Russell thanking him for his part in bringing about the pardons for their husbands; (add.info)

Map showing the placings in Canada of The Tolpuddle Martyrs, a group of 19th-century Dorset agricultural labourers who
5614436 Map showing the placings in Canada of The Tolpuddle Martyrs, a group of 19th-century Dorset agricultural labourers who were arrested for

Public notice advising caution to people thinking of joining illegal societies or unions, early 19th century
5614415 Public notice advising caution to people thinking of joining illegal societies or unions, early 19th century; (add.info)

Facsimile of free pardon granted to George Loveless, one of the Tolpuddle Martyrs
5614439 Facsimile of free pardon granted to George Loveless, one of the Tolpuddle Martyrs; (add.info.: Facsimile of free pardon granted to George Loveless, one of the Tolpuddle Martyrs)

Transportation: Convict in chains bidding farewel, perhaps for every, before being rowed out to join the convict ship
537640 Transportation: Convict in chains bidding farewel, perhaps for every, before being rowed out to join the convict ship bound for Australia

Harvesting at Tolpuddle, Dorset, England in the 19th century
5614409 Harvesting at Tolpuddle, Dorset, England in the 19th century; (add.info.: Harvesting at Tolpuddle, Dorset, England in the 19th century)

Map showing the route of the demonstration at Copenhagen Fields, London, England 21 April 1834 in protest against
5614428 Map showing the route of the demonstration at Copenhagen Fields, London, England 21 April 1834 in protest against the deportation of the Tolpuddle Martyrs; (add.info)

A letter received by James Loveless from his brother George Loveless dated September 10, 1834
5614424 A letter received by James Loveless from his brother George Loveless dated September 10, 1834; (add.info.: A letter received by James Loveless from his brother George Loveless dated September)

George Loveless, 1797-1874
5614435 George Loveless, 1797-1874; (add.info.: George Loveless, 1797-1874. Dorchester labourer and Tolpuddle martyr. The Tolpuddle Martyrs)

The HMS York, a British prison hulk used to house the Tolpuddle Martyrs
5614417 The HMS York, a British prison hulk used to house the Tolpuddle Martyrs; (add.info.: The HMS York, a British prison hulk used to house the Tolpuddle Martyrs)

Transportation: Convict ship ready to sail from England to Australia, parts of which Britain used as a penal colony
537637 Transportation: Convict ship ready to sail from England to Australia, parts of which Britain used as a penal colony

The Brine Bath on board a prison hulk in the early 19th century. The brine bath aka coffin bath was where the prisoners were put after being flogged

Prison ship Success Australia, c. 1890
Image show offcers quarters on board. The ship was converted into a floating museum and used to display the horrors of the penal era. She was destroyed by fire in 1946

Norfolk Island as a penal settlement, 1853
Norfolk Island as a penal settlement: a drawing, made in 1853, showing the buildings as they appeared when the Pacific island was a penal colony. 1) Commissariat and magazine. 2) Military barracks

The Island of the Dead was the destination for all who died inside the prison camps at former convict settlement on the Tasman Peninsula, in Tasmania, Australia

Force of habit (litho)
5993558 Force of habit (litho) by May, Phil (1864-1903); Private Collection; (add.info.: Force of habit. Illustration for the Phil May Album, collected by Augustus M Moore (Methuen)

Adult School in the Chapel, on the Separate System, at the Surrey House of Correction
STC101343 Adult School in the Chapel, on the Separate System, at the Surrey House of Correction, Wandsworth, from The Criminal Prisons of London and Scenes of Prison Life by Henry Mayhew (1812-87)

The Workshop under the Silent System at Millbank Prison
STC101351 The Workshop under the Silent System at Millbank Prison, from The Criminal Prisons of London and Scenes of Prison Life by Henry Mayhew (1812-87) and John Binny

Tread-Wheel and Oakum-Shed at the City Prison, Holloway
STC101348 Tread-Wheel and Oakum-Shed at the City Prison, Holloway, from The Criminal Prisons of London and Scenes of Prison Life by Henry Mayhew (1812-87) and John Binny

Separate Cell in Pentonville Prison, from The Criminal Prisons of London
STC101342 Separate Cell in Pentonville Prison, from The Criminal Prisons of London and Scenes of Prison Life by Henry Mayhew (1812-87) and John Binny, 1862 (engraving) by English School

Howard Visiting a Lazaretto (pen & ink and wash on paper)
AGN270961 Howard Visiting a Lazaretto (pen & ink and wash on paper) by Romney, George (1734-1802); Private Collection; (add.info)

Courtyard of the Paris St. Lazare Prison, c. 1840 (engraving) (b / w photo)
CHT163888 Courtyard of the Paris St. Lazare Prison, c. 1840 (engraving) (b/w photo) by French School, (19th century); Musee de la Ville de Paris, Musee Carnavalet, Paris

Our Hereditary Legislators; or, What it May Come to (colour litho)
3648264 Our Hereditary Legislators; or, What it May Come to (colour litho) by Morgan, Matthew " Matt" Somerville (1839-90); Private Collection; (add.info.: Our Hereditary Legislators; or)

Whip or Rod and Whipping-Post at Wandsworth, from The Criminal Prisons of London
STC101346 Whip or Rod and Whipping-Post at Wandsworth, from The Criminal Prisons of London and Scenes of Prison Life by Henry Mayhew (1812-87) and John Binny, 1862 (engraving) by English School

The Convict Nursery at Brixton, from The Criminal Prisons of London
STC101337 The Convict Nursery at Brixton, from The Criminal Prisons of London and Scenes of Prison Life by Henry Mayhew (1812-87) and John Binny, 1862 (engraving) by English School

Prisoners Working at the Tread-Wheel and Others Exercising in the 3rd Yard of
STC101353 Prisoners Working at the Tread-Wheel and Others Exercising in the 3rd Yard of the Vagrants Prison, Coldbath Fields

The Warrior Hulk with the Sulphur Washing-Ship in the Distance
STC101360 The Warrior Hulk with the Sulphur Washing-Ship in the Distance, from The Criminal Prisons of London and Scenes of Prison Life by Henry Mayhew (1812-87) and John Binny

Study of captives in a prison or lazaretto with a robed figure in their mists
AGN271138 Study of captives in a prison or lazaretto with a robed figure in their mists (brown ink & wash over pencil on paper) by Romney, George (1734-1802); Private Collection; Photo eAgnew s

Female Convicts at Work during the Silent Hour in Brixton Prison
STC101338 Female Convicts at Work during the Silent Hour in Brixton Prison, from The Criminal Prisons of London and Scenes of Prison Life by Henry Mayhew (1812-87) and John Binny

PRISON REFORM / J HOWARD
John Howard (1726-1790), investigating the French penal system, is visited by an officer of the Prefecture Date: circa 1775-79

Aboriginal initiation ceremony involving tooth-avulsion called Yoo-lahng erah-ba-diahng in New South Wales. From: An account of the English colony in New South Wales Date: 1798

The Australian prison hulk Success. Prison hulks were decommissioned ships that authorities used as floating prisons in the 18th and 19th centuries. From The Martyrs of Tolpuddle, published 1934

The HMS York, a British prison hulk used to house the Tolpuddle Martyrs. Prison hulks were decommissioned ships that authorities used as floating prisons in the 18th and 19th centuries

George Loveless, 1797-1874. Dorchester labourer and Tolpuddle martyr. The Tolpuddle Martyrs, a group of 19th-century Dorset agricultural labourers who were arrested for

A contemporary impression of four of the Tolpuddle Martyrs after their return from penal servitude in Australia in 1836. Left to right, James Brine, Thomas Stanfield, John Stanfield, James Loveless

Lieutenant-General Sir George Arthur, 1st Baronet, 1784 - 1854. Lieutenant Governor of British Honduras (1814-1822), Van Diemens Land (now the State of Tasmania)

The Gallery on board The HMS York, a British prison hulk used to house the Tolpuddle Martyrs. Prison hulks were decommissioned ships that authorities used as floating prisons in the 18th

The washing room on board The HMS York, a British prison hulk used to house the Tolpuddle Martyrs. Prison hulks were decommissioned ships that authorities used as floating prisons in the 18th

Map showing the placings in Australia of The Tolpuddle Martyrs, a group of 19th-century Dorset agricultural labourers who were arrested for

George Loveless, 1797-1874. Dorchester labourer and Tolpuddle martyr. The Tolpuddle Martyrs, a group of 19th-century Dorset agricultural labourers who were arrested for

Demonstration at Copenhagen Fields, London, England 21 April 1834 in protest against the deportation of the Tolpuddle Martyrs

Facsimile of free pardon granted to George Loveless, one of the Tolpuddle Martyrs. The Tolpuddle Martyrs, a group of 19th-century Dorset agricultural labourers who were arrested for

A group of chained prisoners boarding a prison ship in the 19th century. From The Martyrs of Tolpuddle, published 1934

Map showing the placings in Canada of The Tolpuddle Martyrs, a group of 19th-century Dorset agricultural labourers who were arrested for

A Hobart chain-gang, a group of prisoners chained together to perform menial or physically challenging work as a form of punishment. From The Martyrs of Tolpuddle, published 1934

Map showing the arrest and transportation to Australia and Tasmania of the Tolpuddle Labourers, 1834. The Tolpuddle Martyrs

The branding of a prisoner with a hot iron on board a prison hulk in the early 19th century. From The Martyrs of Tolpuddle, published 1934

A prisoner being lashed on board a prison hulk From The Martyrs of Tolpuddle, published 1934

George Loveless on the coach to Salisbury, chained and manacled, awaiting transportation to the prison ship at Portsmouth, 1834. George Loveless, 1797-1874. Dorchester labourer and Tolpuddle martyr

Public notice advising caution to people thinking of joining illegal societies or unions, early 19th century. From The Martyrs of Tolpuddle, published 1934

The Martyrs Tree, a sycamore at Tolpuddle in Dorset, England, regarded by some as the birthplace of the British trades union movement. From The Martyrs of Tolpuddle, published 1934

Harvesting at Tolpuddle, Dorset, England in the 19th century. From The Martyrs of Tolpuddle, published 1934

A letter received by James Loveless from his brother George Loveless dated September 10, 1834. George Loveless, 1797-1874. Dorchester labourer and Tolpuddle martyr

Facsimile of a letter from the wives of the Tolpuddle Martyrs to Lord John Russell thanking him for his part in bringing about the pardons for their husbands

The Homecoming of The Tolpuddle Martyrs, a group of 19th-century Dorset agricultural labourers who were arrested for and convicted of swearing a secret oath as members of the Friendly Society of

Map showing the route of the demonstration at Copenhagen Fields, London, England 21 April 1834 in protest against the deportation of the Tolpuddle Martyrs

Historic architecture in the penal colony of Darlington, Maria Island National Park, Tasmania, Australia

Working On The Chain Gang
Macon, Georgia March 8, 1937 A Bibb County chain gang with picks and shovels returns from work for the day. The county recently instituted an eight hour day for the convicts

The Priests Stone, Knock-Dhu Mt - a view of an inscribed stone or penal alter. (Location: Northern Ireland; County Antrim; Knockdhu td.). Date: circa early 1900s

Group of Australian Aborigines - from: An account of the English colony in New South Wales Date: 1798

Lt-Col Edmund Y. W. Henderson
Charles Robert Spencer, sixth Earl Spencer (1857 - 1922), before that Viscount Althorp until he succeeded to the title in 1910, British courtier and Liberal politician

Source Size = 2566 x 1674
" A prison of shame, perhaps a penal settlement, stared him in the face."

Convicts Exercising in Pentonville Prison, from The Criminal Prisons of London
XJF488957 Convicts Exercising in Pentonville Prison, from The Criminal Prisons of London and Scenes of Prison Life by Henry Mayhew and John Binny, 1862 (engraving) by English School

Tread-Wheel and Oakum-Shed at the City Prison, Holloway, from The Criminal Prisons of London
XJF447326 Tread-Wheel and Oakum-Shed at the City Prison, Holloway, from The Criminal Prisons of London and Scenes of Prison Life by Henry Mayhew and John Binny, 1862 (engraving) by English School

Noahs Ark improved, or an attempt to land in the teeth of the wind, Holland, William, active 1782-1817, en sanguine engraving 1790

The Loss of H. M. s. doterel : Sandy Point, the Chilian Penal Settlement
The Loss of H.M.s. " doterel" : Sandy Point, the Chilian Penal Settlement Off which the Explosion Took Place, 1881

Alexandroffsky Central Prison in Eastern Siberia 1920

Picture No. 10862996
Maria Island penal settlement (1825-1832, and 1842-1850), Cement building in f/g post 1884. Darlington, Maria Island National Park, Tasmania Australia Date:

Transportation: Convict ship ready to sail from England to Australia, parts of which Britain used as a penal colony. Friends and relations having said farewell, probably for ever

John Howard (1726-1790) English prison reformer. Howard League for Penal Reform named for him. Woodcut

Church Service In Sing Sing
Ossining, New York: 1906 Church service in Sing Sing prison where the ushers are are the guards

Noahs Ark improved, or an attempt to land in the teeth of the wind, Holland, William, active 1782-1817, en sanguine engraving 1790

Hoogstraten Penal Colony, Belgium
The entrance to Hoogstraten Penal Colony near Antwerp, Belgium Date: 1904

Sakhalin Island, Russia - Convicts at working moving timber
Russian Convicts on Sakhalin Island work to move timber on a basic railroad. A katorga (penal colony) was established by Russia on Sakhalin in 1857. Date: circa 1910s

The in and the out of our penal system. Illustration shows criminals on the left entering a prison labeled Penitentiary with a statue of Justice

Band and parade at Mettray Colony, France
A band and parade of inmates at the agricultural colony for delinquent boys at Mettray, near Tours, France. In the 1840s, the colony pioneered the cottage homes system where boys lived in small

Hammocks in dormitory, Mettray Colony, France
View of a dormitory at the agricultural colony for delinquent boys at Mettray, near Tours, France, with a few boys asleep in their hammocks

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"Exploring the Dark History of Penal Systems: From Convict Transportation to Australia and Devil's Isle" Step back in time as we delve into the intriguing world systems, where stories of punishment and redemption intertwine. One such tale takes us to the shores of Australia, where convict transportation became a defining chapter in its history. The journey across treacherous waters marked a new beginning for many, while others faced unimaginable hardships. Devil's Isle witnessed another infamous penal episode with the wrongful imprisonment of Alfred Dreyfus. Stranded on this remote island, he fought against injustice and emerged as a symbol of resilience amidst adversity. Intriguingly, Edmund Y. W Henderson played an instrumental role in shaping penal reforms. His tireless efforts aimed at transforming these institutions into places of rehabilitation rather than mere confinement. Venturing further, we encounter "The Island of the Dead, " hauntingly beautiful yet shrouded in sorrow. This final resting place for countless souls serves as a poignant reminder that every life has a story worth remembering. Diving into indigenous cultures, we uncover ancient traditions like Aboriginal initiation ceremonies. These rites symbolize growth and transformation within their communities—a stark contrast to the oppressive nature often associated with penitentiaries. Norfolk Island emerges as an embodiment of punishment during its time as a penal settlement in 1853. Its rugged landscape mirrored the harsh realities endured by those incarcerated there—an unforgiving environment meant to deter any thoughts of escape or rebellion. Examining artistic expressions born out of incarceration reveals unexpected insights; "Force Of Habit (litho)" captures how habits can become ingrained even within prison walls—reminding us that change is not always easy but still possible. Across continents, New York boasts its own great penal institution captured through black-and-white photographs—a testament to society's struggle with crime and punishment throughout history. Meanwhile, aboard Prison Ship Success off Australia's coast in the late 19th century, lives were confined to cramped quarters.