Mug shot

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Mugshot redirects here. For the software, see Mugshot (software).

Bill Gates's mug shot from his 1977 arrest.

A mug shot (also known as a mugshot, head shot, or, properly, booking photograph) is a photographic portrait taken after one is arrested. It was invented by Allan Pinkerton, a famous US detective of the 19th Century. Most mug shots are two-part, with one side-view photo, and one front-view. The Pinkerton National Detective Agency first began using these on "Wanted" posters from the "Wild West" days.

Prior to the advent of computer technology, the accused was asked to hold a card with their name, the date, and other information on it. In recent years, digital photography is used for the booking process, and the accused now is no longer asked to hold the card while the photo is taken. Rather the digital photograph is linked to a database record concerning the arrest.

The purpose of the mug shot is to allow law enforcement to have a photographic record of all arrested individuals to allow for identification by victims and investigators. These photographs are usually considered eligible for republication under fair use doctrines, though the copyrights typically belong to the jurisdictions responsible for taking the photographs. In the United States, a mug shot can be obtained by anyone through the Freedom of Information Act, except for when the arrestee's record has been sealed.

The term derives from mug, an English slang term for face, dating from the 18th century. Another source suggests the term comes from mug, as in grimace, because early subjects would try to reduce their mugshot's value for later identification by grimacing or otherwise twisting their facial muscles (see mugging). This led to the term "mugging" in the acting profession, indicating "emoting" or "overacting", i.e. an amateurish acting performance.

The phrase has also come to refer to any small picture of a face (portrait) used for any reason.