  Luminosity and mass functions in the old open cluster NGC 188 are analysed by
means of J and H 2MASS photometry. Within the uncertainties, the observed
projected radial density profile of NGC 188 departs from the two-parameter King
model in two inner regions, which reflects the non-virialized dynamical state
and possibly, some degree of non-sphericity in the spatial shape of this old
open cluster. Fits with two and three-parameter King models to the radial
distribution of stars resulted in a core radius of 1.3 pc and a tidal radius of
21 pc. The present 2MASS analysis resulted in significant slope variations with
distance in the mass function $\phi(m)\propto m^{-(1+\chi)}$, being flat in the
central parts ($\chi=0.6\pm0.7$) and steep in the cluster outskirts
($\chi=7.2\pm0.6$). The overall mass function has a slope $\chi=1.9\pm0.7$,
slightly steeper than a standard Salpeter mass function. Solar metallicity
Padova isochrone fits to the near-infrared colour-magnitude diagram of NGC 188
resulted in an age of $7.0\pm1.0$ Gyr. The best fit, obtained with the 7.1 Gyr
isochrone, produced a distance modulus $\mM=11.1\pm0.1$, $\ebv=0.0$, and a
distance to the Sun $\ds=1.66\pm0.08$ kpc. The observed stellar mass (in the
range $0.98 \ms - 1.08 \ms$) in NGC 188 is $\mobs=380\pm12 \ms$. A simple
extrapolation of the observed overall mass function to stars with $0.08 \ms$
resulted in a total present mass of $\mtot\sim(1.8\pm0.7)\times10^4 \ms$. On
the other hand, for a more realistic initial mass function which flattens in
the low-mass range, the total mass in NGC 188 drops to
$\mtot\sim(3.8\pm1.6)\times10^3 \ms$.
