Capone

A visual retelling of the rise and eventual fall of Al Capone, comprised of many never-before-published photographs from the Chicago Tribune’s archives.

A look back in time to the Roaring Twenties and the early days of organized crime, this collection of historical photos—taken from 1926 to 1952—focus on Capone and those connected to him, including his family, mob rivals, and targets.

Many of these photographs have never been seen outside of Chicago’s Tribune Tower, but all of them are high-quality scans of original glass-plate negatives, making them historically significant to both photography buffs and readers interested in Capone. The introduction by the Chicago Tribune’s associate managing photo/video editor details this process in an illuminating, fascinating fashion.

The first section gives readers a look inside Capone’s luxurious and illicit gangster lifestyle—vacation homes, mob funerals, gun-toting arrests—up to the time of the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929. The second part follows Capone’s 1931 indictment, trial, and sentencing on charges of defrauding the government and violating prohibition. The third section introduces readers to a mob target who evaded assassination for decades, and one who was not so lucky. The fourth part follows up with Al Capone’s brother, Ralph, and the fifth part focuses on Capone’s death.