A wanted poster was a notice distributed to let the public know about an alleged criminal on the loose. They often included a picture or a facial composite, but a photograph was not always available at the time.
The posters would list those wanted, their crimes, and the reward.
Wanted ads were a prevalent site in the Wild West before TV, Radio, and other forms of media could caution people about dangerous criminals.
A $50 reward offer for the arrest, conviction, and recovery of a 1913 Overland Roadster, Model 69, from Spokane, Washington. John Moe Collection
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Wanted ad for John Wesley Hardin, the Gentleman Killer, who killed Deputy Sheriff Charles Webb of Brown County Texas, 1874. Pinterest
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An 1824 wanted poster issued by the Spanish Empire and offering a gold and silver bounty for the capture of pirate captain Roberto Cofresí. Wikipedia
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A Wanted poster for Billy the Kid offering a $500 reward, ordered by Lew. Wallace, Governor of New Mexico. True West Magazine
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Wanted Poster for Bonnie and Clyde ordered by the U.S. Department of Justice, 1934. Wikimedia Commons
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$1,000 reward for the capture and convictions of the thieves who broke into the property of Henry Morgan & Co. 1875. Nova Scotia Archives
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$1,000 reward for the detection and apprehension of the murder of Bridget Landergin, from Boston, 1873. Nova Scotia Archives
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$10,000 reward for WM.M. Tweed, who was indicted for forgery, among other crimes and escaped from prison December 4, 1875. Nova Scotia Archives
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$500 reward for the capture of those responsible for the abduction of 10-year-old Katie Mary Curran. Boston, 1874. Nova Scotia Archives
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$1000 reward for the arrest and delivery of Thomas Reed to the Sheriff of Galveston County, TX, 1879. Nova Scotia Archives
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1858 Reward for $100 for Sophia Gordon, a runaway slave from a farm near Washington. DCPL Commons
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1880, Boston. Wanted poster for John A. Woodward who embezzled roughly $82,000. Nova Scotia Archives
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An 1877 Wanted poster for Joseph Rudderham, John Mulligan, and Cornelius Sughro, wanted by Special Police Officer N.B. Furnald of Quincy, Massachusettes. Nova Scotia Archives
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An 1879 Wanted Ad for W.B. Jones from Missouri. Nova Scotia Archives
