smokinggun

While the artistry of photographers like Richard Avedon, Annie Leibovitz, and Yousuf Karsh provides the images of the powerful that will go down in history, TSG actually prefers the work of some more obscure shutterbugs. We’re talking about the countless clerks, cops, and sheriff's deputies who handle the impromptu photo shoots with the rich and famous who’ve landed in the pokey.

Without the aid of fancy lighting, makeup, and wardrobe, these little works of mug shot art--taken with Instamatic, Polaroid, and digital cameras at law enforcement agencies nationwide--are perhaps the most candid photos of celebrities (and other public figures) that you’ll see.

Along with the starlets and superstar athletes, we've included some of TSG's favorite mug shots, images of the not-so-famous that chronicle the rich assortment of American misbehavior. For more celebrity hijinks, click here to see the backstage demands of performers from Clay Aiken and Ashlee Simpson to OutKast and Metallica.