Directed by Saul Dibb, based on the book by Amanda Foreman, The Duchess (2008) takes a cinematic look at the life of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. Wed to an adulterous husband at a young age, and forced to live in a manage-a-trois, Georgiana soon proved to have her own identity as an outspoken 18th Century fashion icon and extravagant sex symbol. It was partly this flirtatious obsession and appeal that translated to the famous theft of Thomas Gainsborough's portrait of the Duchess of Devonshire a century later by the notorious "Napoleon of Crime" Adam Worth. Worth fell in love with Georgiana's portrait and kept it under his bed for 25 years. The film's lavish attention to period detail, sets and costume design is admirable. Keira Knightley is beautiful as Georgiana Spencer (Cavendish), Duchess of Devonshire. Ralph Fiennes is cold as the Duke. The supporting cast is good as well, including Charlotte Rampling, Dominic Cooper and Hayley Atwell.
London's Metropolitan Police Service, also known as Scotland Yard, have been at the forefront of crime fighting for nearly 200 years. Currently, the force consists of 33,000 officers policing a city which can reach a population of 15,000,000 people on a given day, around which roughly 1 million crimes are committed per year. They are, indeed, a formidable authority. Produced in 2013 for PBS, Secrets of Scotland Yard takes a look at the highlights in the long history of this elite group of detectives. The story begins in early 19th Century London, where a growing population necessitated the passing of the Metropolitan Police Act in 1829. The bobbies dressed in plain clothes during the early years, with little freedom to probe the public, for fear of uprising and revolution. Skilled detectives, previously operating in secret, were given free reign to conduct investigations after a failed attempt to assassinate Queen Victoria in 1842. These sleuths inspired 19th Century crime fiction, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's great detective Sherlock Holmes… whose real life counterpart may have been Scotland Yard detective Dick Turner. Professor Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes' nemesis, was inspired by real life criminal Adam Worth… dubbed the "Napoleon of Crime" by Scotland Yard. Adam Worth's criminal escapades culminated in a daring 1876 art heist in which he stole the portrait of the "Duchess of Devonshire" by Thomas Gainsborough. It was a crime of aesthetic passion, one of the few instances in which an art thief stole a painting to keep for his own enjoyment. In love with the portrait, Adam Worth kept the "Duchess of Devonshire" hidden under his mattress for 25 years. The CID (Criminal Investigations Department) proved necessary soon after… with the gruesome and depraved serial murders of Jack the Ripper. Terrorizing the prostitutes of Whitechapel, the killings remain unsolved but the intense investigation produced many of the detective techniques still used today. The Jack the Ripper case provided the first criminal profile and the first instance of crime scene photography. The utilization of bloodhounds became commonplace as well. The early 20th Century saw advances in the field of forensic science. Forensics were key in solving the infamous Great Train Robbery in 1963, during which a fortune (nearly $500 million in today's money) was stolen. After their escape, the thieves passed the time at their hideout by playing Monopoly… leaving fingerprints all over the board game. The founding of the Flying Squad in 1919 proved essential to modern success as well. This culminated in 2000, with the failed Millennium Diamond Heist. Organized thieves had targeted the Millennium Star Diamond, worth $750 million. Despite their daring efforts, including a bulldozer to crash the walls and a getaway speedboat, Scotland Yard nabbed their crooks thanks to the use of modern video surveillance. These are just a few of the cases and exploits featured in this worthwhile 50-minute documentary, fitfully glorifying one of the world's most elite and effective law enforcement agencies.
The Napoleon of Crime: The Life and Times of Adam Worth, Master Thief
by Ben Macintyre. Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publishers. 1997
by Travis Simpkins
The most famous and successful criminal of the Victorian age, Adam Worth presided over an illicit empire of fraud, forgery and robbery that stretched from America to Europe and South Africa. His far reach and daring conquests of thievery amounted to millions of dollars over a three decade reign, earning him the unofficial title of "The Napoleon of Crime." His cleverness in planning, abhorrence of violence and ability to avoid capture instilled awe in the public and gained respect from law enforcement. Arthur Conan Doyle used Adam Worth as the inspiration for Professor Moriarty, the criminal mastermind and nemesis of Sherlock Holmes, and he now remains immortal in the realm of fiction. Worth's most daring act, the brazen theft of Thomas Gainsborough's portrait of "Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire" in 1876 is one of the most notorious in the realm of Art Crime. He kept the painting under his bed for 25 years after the theft, seemingly in love with the portrait, making it one of the only high-profile heists that wasn't solely perpetrated for profit.
In his 1997 book, The Napoleon of Crime: The Life and Times of Adam Worth, Master Thief, Ben Macintyre provides a most thorough profile of the arch criminal. Starting with his enlistment in the Union Army in the Civil War, and subsequent faked death, Worth set forth on a long crime spree. Cultivated by his pickpocket apprenticeship to Marm Mandelbaum in New York City, Worth committed an enormous bank heist in Boston before fleeing to Europe under the alias Henry J. Raymond (a name he kept for the rest of his life). Much attention is given to Kitty Flynn, the Irish barmaid that would become his lover and life-long obsession (The Duchess of Devonshire portrait looks a lot like Kitty). Many crimes are profiled, from large-scale frauds and jewel heists to petty thefts and highway robbery. Great detail is offered in the account of the 1876 art theft of "The Duchess." Worth's relationship with William Pinkerton, once his pursuer and later his friend, is given pause… particularly in regard to Pinkerton's role in brokering the return of the stolen Gainsborough painting in 1901. J. Pierpont Morgan, the wealthy magnate whose obsession with "The Duchess" painting rivaled Worth's, is featured as well. Many of Worth's numerous criminal cohorts who came to him in search of schemes, including Charley Bullard and Max Shinburn alias "The Baron", have pages devoted to them as well. Ben Macintyre's writing style is engaging and artful, maintaining interest and painting an intriguing portrait of a notorious criminal. Deserving of praise, the tome is well worth the time spent reading it.
Adam Worth aka Henry J. Raymond: The Napoleon of Crime. Ben Macintyre
Marm Mandelbaum: The Napoleon of Crime. Ben Macintyre
Kitty Flynn Terry: The Napoleon of Crime. Ben Macintyre
Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire by Thomas Gainsborough: The Napoleon of Crime. Ben Macintyre
Chatsworth House: The Napoleon of Crime. Ben Macintyre
the stolen Duchess of Devonshire by Gainsborough: The Napoleon of Crime. Ben Macintyre
William Pinkerton: The Napoleon of Crime. Ben Macintyre
J. Pierpont Morgan: The Napoleon of Crime. Ben Macintyre
Robert Pinkerton: The Napoleon of Crime. Ben Macintyre
Max Shinburn aka The Baron: The Napoleon of Crime. Ben Macintyre
Ben Macintyre: The Napoleon of Crime. Ben Macintyre
Adam Worth aka Henry J. Raymond: The Napoleon of Crime. Ben Macintyre
Chatsworth House: The Napoleon of Crime. Ben Macintyre
Moriarty: The Napoleon of Crime. Ben Macintyre
Adam Worth and Moriarty: The Napoleon of Crime. Ben Macintyre
.jpg)
