Bonnie and Clyde

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were not the master criminals of lore, but rather two desperate Texans whose petty robberies escalated into a bloody national spectacle. They met in Texas during the depths of the Great Depression, a time when banks were foreclosing on families and law enforcement was widely distrusted. Clyde, already a small-time crook, found a willing partner in Bonnie, a waitress with poetic aspirations who was bored by her bleak prospects. Their gang, which included Clyde’s brother Buck, specialized in robbing gas stations and grocery stores, often netting mere dollars. Their notoriety exploded due to the nascent power of photojournalism; a series of playful, found photographs of Bonnie posing with a cigar and Clyde’s guns were published nationwide, creating an image of glamorous rebellion that was far from their gritty reality. Their two-year run involved numerous shootouts and the killings of several police officers, which made them targets for a massive manhunt. Their end came in a hail of bullets in a Louisiana ambush, a violent finale that only cemented their status as folk anti-heroes whose story has been endlessly repackaged in film and song.