Mark Michaelson is a mug shot collector and all-around fascinating fellow. I got to interview him for Weekend America.

I highly suggest peeing his flickr photo blog with some excerpts from his collection of 10,000 mug shots.

And if you're in Chicago between now and April 12 - you can check out his exhibit at Intuit Gallery on Milwaukee Ave.

The mugshots in his collection reveal myriad histories - from fashion trends to immigration and crime trends and the development of the photographic medium. In this collection of mug shots to the right, you can see how prison's saved film at one time by using a mirror for the profile shot.

Photo courtesy Steidl & Partners Publishing