The Art of Crime

Introducing The Unusual Suspects: Artists Accused of Being Jack the Ripper

In 1888, Jack the Ripper murdered at least five women in the East End of London. More than a century later, we haven't stopped talking about his crimes, nor have we given up on unmasking the perpetrator. In season 1 of The Art of Crime, we look at six artists who have been accused of the killings.  Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com.  If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast.

The Whitechapel Murders (Artists Accused of Being Jack the Ripper)

In 1888, the malefactor known as Jack the Ripper killed at least five women—Polly Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elisabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly—in the poverty-stricken district of Whitechapel, East London. In the first episode of this season, we discuss the victims' lives and times as well as their deaths. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com.  If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast. 

Master of Disguise: Willy Clarkson (Artists Accused of Being Jack the Ripper)

For decades, Willy Clarkson reigned as London's most famous theatrical wigmaker and costume designer. Also renowned as a master of disguise, he did business with countless customers intent on concealing their identities. According to Clarkson's early biographer, Jack the Ripper was one of them. However, documentarian P. William Grimm has recently argued that Clarkson and Jack were one and the same person. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com.  If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast. 

Jekyll, Hyde, and Jack the Ripper: Richard Mansfield (Artists Accused of Being Jack the Ripper)

In 1887, American actor Richard Mansfield originated the dual role of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in Boston. His performance as Hyde was so terrifying that audience members fainted. In the late summer of 1888, he took the show to London, presenting it at the metropolis's foremost playhouse. Just weeks after Jekyll and Hyde opened, the Ripper claimed his first canonical victim, and Mansfield aroused suspicion as the culprit. Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com.  If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast. 

Anagramamaniacs: Lewis Carroll (Artists Accused of Being Jack the Ripper)

Lewis Carroll was teaching math at Oxford when he befriended Alice Liddell, a colleague's daughter. Even though their friendship ended in scandal, it led to one of the most beloved children's books of all time, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. In 1996, psychotherapist Richard Wallace accused Carroll of committing the Whitechapel murders, claiming to have discovered compromising anagrams in Carroll's writing.  Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com.  If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast.