stars and iconic figures pictured in newly colorized mugshots

stars and iconic figures pictured in newly colorized mugshots
Hollywood stars and iconic figures pictured in newly colorized mugshots

A stunning series of iconic police mugshots involving some of the world's biggest stars and influential figures have been released in a never-before-seen colorized form. 

The collection, including David Bowie's 1976 jail photo for marijuana possession and Jane Fonda's act of defiance against trumped-up drug charges, have been brought to life in painstaking detail.

The images captured some of the world's most well-known people during their 'worst moments ever' - including actress Patty Hearst when she was caught after a year on the run with a group of leftist kidnappers, and legendary talk show host Larry King being charged for grand larceny.

Originally all taken in black and white, the photos form various police departments have been digitally enhanced by adding colour to each pixel of the image and using intensive research to match their skin tones, hair and clothes.

Jason Baker, 40, used original images of high-profile names such as music legend David Bowie, gangster Al Capone and actress Jane Fonda, with each taking up to 10 hours to perfect.

Jason said: 'I am a huge fan of celebrities, and was fascinated by these images of stars in their worst moments ever.

'My goal was to make everything as clear as possible and really bring a whole new dimension to the images. 

'I think by adding colour in a way the pictures tell the stories a bit better, and hopefully people will see new things in them.'

Jason's work has been widely acclaimed on social media, with users commenting that the work gives a whole new dimension and historical significance to the previously seen images. 

A photographer has brought to life the black-and-white mugshots of some of the world's most known people - captured during their 'worst moments ever'. Pictured: Pablo Escobar in 1977

A photographer has brought to life the black-and-white mugshots of some of the world's most known people - captured during their 'worst moments ever'. Pictured: Pablo Escobar in 1977

Pablo Escobar, 1977

For a renowned drug trafficker and crime boss responsible for hundreds of murders, being behind bars would not be a happy ordeal.

But in this iconic mugshot from 1977, Pablo Escobar is seen smiling for his arresting officers at a regional Colombian National Police station in Medellín.

The circumstances of the picture, believed to be Escobar's only ever mugshot, are unclear but it is assumed his display of happiness comes from know he won't be in prison for long.

It has been reported that Escobar and several of his men were arrested after police allegedly found 40lbs of cocaine concealed in a spare tyre.

But when it came to handling the case, it was pushed between several different judges but none of them would touch it for fear of reprisals. Eventually it was dropped and Escobar walked out.

With dozens of guards and officers receiving payments from his cartel to turn a blind eye or other nefarious activities, Colombian government struggled to ever pin down the drug lord. 

Escobar, who was eventually shot and killed in December 1993, was at one stage responsible for supplying 80 percent of the world's cocaine and had ambitions of running his home country. 

In 1991, he struck a deal with Colombia's then-president Cesar Gaviria to prevent him from being extradited to the US.

David Bowie's Station To Station tour had a very memorable moment when he was pictured looking every inch the icon while receiving a booking for marijuana possession

David Bowie's Station To Station tour had a very memorable moment when he was pictured looking every inch the icon while receiving a booking for marijuana possession

David Bowie, 1976

Late rockstar David Bowie's Station To Station tour had a very memorable moment when he was pictured looking every inch the icon while receiving a booking for marijuana possession.

Bowie had played a Saturday night show on March 20, 1976 at the Community War Memorial Arena in Rochester, New York before returning to his hotel.

Later that night however, Bowie and a few friends - including one James Osterberg Jr (Iggy Pop) - were arrested in his three-room suite on marijuana charges.

A police report at the time said they confiscated 'about half a pound of marijuana' from the group.

His mugshot from Rochester Police Department shows the Ziggy Stardust singer wearing a three-piece pinstripe suit and unbuttoned white shirt with his hair slicked by like his Thin White Duke character. 

But with a show in Springfield, Massachusetts later on that day, Bowie, then 28, paid the group's bonds to make it back on the road in time for the gig.

He returned a few days later to plead innocent in Rochester City Court

In a short interview afterwards, Bowie complimented the city's police officers: 'They were very courteous and very gentle,' Bowie said. 'They’ve been just super.'

After completing shows at Madison Square Garden, Bowie returned to Europe at the end of March 1976.

In May 1976, the charges were effectively dismissed after a grand jury declined to indict the legendary artist. He never returned to Rochester.     

Patty Hearst's mugshot was taken at the end of the strangest cases in FBI history. She had been kidnapped by and later joined leftist group the Symbionese Liberation Army

Patty Hearst's mugshot was taken at the end of the strangest cases in FBI history. She had been kidnapped by and later joined leftist group the Symbionese Liberation Army

Patty Hearst, 1975 

Author and actress Patty Hearst's mugshot was taken at the end of the strangest cases in FBI history.

In 1974 Hearst, the granddaughter of billionaire publisher William Randolph Hearst, had been kidnapped from her apartment in Berkeley, California, by two men and a woman who tied her up and threw her into the trunk of a car. 

Three days later, the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), a small US leftist group, announced they had taken Hearst as a 'prisoner of war', demanding the heiress' family gave away money to feed the poor.

But as negotiations were made in an attempt to free her in 1975, Hearst dramatically declared she had joined the group of her own free will.

She later took part in a San Francisco bank robbery for the group, and was captured on a surveillance camera yelling at customers during the raid.

After crisscrossing the country with the group for more than a year, on September 18, 1975, Heart was finally captured and arrested for armed robbery.

In court she claimed she had been brainwashed by the SLA, but was convicted and spent seven years in jail before being released. She was eventually given a Presidential pardon by Bill Clinton. 

Steve McQueen is pictured giving a cheeky peace-sign hand gesture during his mugshot in AnchorageAlaska

Steve McQueen is pictured giving a cheeky peace-sign hand gesture during his mugshot in AnchorageAlaska

Steve McQueen, 1972

Film legend Steve McQueen is pictured giving a cheeky peace-sign hand gesture during his mugshot in Alaska.

Known for his high-speed driving performances in Bullitt and LeMans, McQueen was busted in the southern city of Anchorage for drunk driving in 1972.

According to witnesses, the movie star raced through town in a rented Oldsmobile Toronado. When Police finally managed to pull him over and perform a sobriety test, he failed by somersaulting down the

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