rogues' gallery

American  

noun

1. a collection of portraits of criminals and suspects maintained by the police for purposes of identification.

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rogues' gallery British  

noun

1. a collection of photographs of known criminals kept by the police for identification purposes

2. a group of undesirable people

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rogues' gallery Idioms  

1. A police collection of pictures of criminals and suspects kept for identification purposes. For example, The detective went through the entire rogues' gallery but couldn't find a match with the suspect. [Mid-1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of rogues' gallery

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

The first group in the rogues’ gallery are the British children of World War II. Lennon was born in the interlude between air raids.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

With Richard Beckinsale as his impressionable cellmate Lennie Godber, the series has a colourful rogues’ gallery of prisoners played by a cast including Brian Glover, Tony Osoba, Christopher Biggins, David Jason and Peter Vaughan.

From BBC • Sep. 4, 2024

“It’s a rogues’ gallery on that through one provider,” said Halcyon executive Ryan Golden ahead of the report’s publication.

From Reuters • Aug. 1, 2023

Dederer flips through an entire rogues’ gallery, which includes plenty of men yet also a surprising number of women: J.K.

From New York Times • Apr. 23, 2023

But within this Hamiltonian rogues’ gallery, Burr was always the chief rogue, and what Hamilton said about him was truly distinctive.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis