It Has Always Been Hard For Poor Children

These photos demonstrate how impossible life has been for children at other times and in other places (please send KARA samples of your own)

From the Tyne & Wear ARchives & Museums  KARA presentation (4 minute video)

Incredibly Bleak Mugshots Of Kids From The 1800s

ERIN FUCHS NOV. 7, 2013, 3:42 PM 79,301 6

Tyne & Wear Archives And MuseumsMary Catherine Docherty, 14, got 7 days hard labor for stealing iron.

America has been criticized for being too quick to arrest kids for minor crimes, but misbehaving children had it way worse in 19th century England.

The Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums has a heartbreaking collection of mugshots on Flickr of British criminals from 1871 to 1873, including many children arrested for petty crimes and sentenced to hard labor.

The mugshots from the Newcastle City Gaol and House Of Correction include a 12-year-old arrested for stealing boots and a 15-year-old arrested for stealing a coat.

Henry Leonard Stephenson was convicted of breaking into houses and sentenced to two months in prison in 1873, when he was 12 years old.

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums/Flickr

Source: Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

James Donneley had already been in and out of prison by the time he was 16 years old, when he got busted for stealing shirts.

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums/Flickr

Source: Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

Jane Farrell, 12, stole two boots and got 10 days of hard labor.

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums/Flickr

Source: Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

John Reed was 15 in 1873, when he was sentenced to 14 days of hard labor and five years of “reformation” for stealing money.

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

Source: Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

Mary Catherine Docherty, 14, was convicted of stealing iron along with three child accomplices, and got seven days hard labor.

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

Source: Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

Mary Hinnigan, 13, had to do seven days of hard labor after she was caught stealing iron with her friends.

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums/Flickr

Source: Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

Rosanna Watson was convicted of stealing iron with three other girls and sentenced to seven days of hard labor when she was 13.

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums/Flickr

Source: Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

Ellen Woodman, 11, was sentenced to seven days of hard labor after stealing iron with three other little girls.

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

Source: Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

Richard Rimmington, 15, got two weeks hard labor for stealing a pipe. He didn’t have to serve his sentence because his parents paid a fine.

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums/Flickr

Source: Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

Isabella Hindmarch, 16, was convicted of stealing money and was sentenced to one month hard labor.

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

Source: Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

Henry Miller, 14, was charged with stealing clothes and got two weeks of hard labor.

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums/Flickr

Source: Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

Isabella Dodds, 17, was sentenced to four months in jail for stealing a gold watch.

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums/Flickr

Source: Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

John Duffy, 16, got six months in prison for assault.

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums/Flickr

Source: Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

Catherine Kelly, 17, was found guilty of stealing bed linen and got three months in jail.

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums/Flickr

Source: Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

Michael Clement Fisher, 13, got two months in prison for breaking into houses.

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums/Flickr

Source: Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

Robert Charlton, 16, was imprisoned for four months for stealing two pairs of boots.

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums/Flickr

Source: Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

Margaret Cosh was 15 when she got arrested for stealing a coat. She got two months of hard labor despite not having any prior convictions.

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums/Flickr

Source: Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

James Scullion, 13, was sentenced to two weeks of hard labor for stealing clothes. He was then sent to reform school for three years.

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums/Flickr

Source: Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

Read more: Mugshots of kids from the 1800s 2013 11 (businessinsider.com)