Browse Items (25 total)

John Brown's last speech

Abolitionist John Brown, about to be sentenced to death in 1859, addresses the court. Broadside sold at "The Liberator", Wm. Lloyd Garrison's…

Governor Ronald Reagan and state Senator George Deukmejian signing the 1973 California death penalty bill, SB450

The photograph was taken after the signing. Gov. Regan passes his pen to Sen. George Deukmejian (R. Long Beach), sponsor of the death penalty bill,…

Mugshot of Gee Jon

Mugshot of Gee Jon, taken in Nevada State Prison. Gee Jon was the first person to be executed by lethal gas in the United States.

The Last Public Execution in the United States: Rainey Bethea's Hanging, 1936

Photograph capturing the public hanging of Rainey Bethea on August 14, 1936, in Owensboro, Kentucky. The photo shows a large crowd gathered as…

Execution of H H Holmes

An illustration of Moyamensing Prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, capturing the execution of H. H. Holmes. The scene depicts Holmes delivering his…

The evening world (New York, N.Y.), August 6, 1890, (EXTRA 2 O'CLOCK)

Newspaper featuring the first person, William Kemmler, to be executed by the electric chair