Καβάλα, 1955

 

Colourised version © Christos Kaplanis, All Rights Reserve

original

Police photographs taken by the West Midlands Police show real members of the Peaky Blinders gang in their signature outfits. Consider the 1905 mug shot of Stephen McHickie: His cap, which had a hard brim, would have helped him and his fellow gang members commit crimes.

According to historian David Cross, "They used their hats with razor blades sewn in to rob people. That's what a Peaky Blinder was." This type of cap was referred to as a "peaky" at the time. The men would headbutt their victims, doling out terrible cuts and causing temporary blindness, earning them the name Peaky Blinders.