There must be a photo of Frederick Abberline

[bkohatl]

Only one newspaper drawing....
I know that within Scotland Yard and The Metropolitan Police that someone at some time had to have taken a photo of Frederick Abberline. Has anyone ever gone through his personnel file or Scotland Yard Files to see if they can find one.
His retirement dinner seems to have been a big deal. He was presented with a gold watch a silver service to honor his service to the community. Someone must have taken a picture to commemorate the event.

[Brenda]

bkohatl - if you can find it, your name will go down in the "Ripper Hall of Fame"

[aspallek]

I'm sure there were photographs taken and it's likely that at l east one still exists somewhere. Probably some researcher will dig it up one day and it could be in an obvious place. Abberline appears to have been a very private man. Chances are he didn't sit for many photos but I'll bet there's one out there somewhere.

[Dave O]

The thread might have been lost in the crash, but sometime back SPE shared a lovely photograph from his collection that featured a possible candidate. My memory is spotty but as best as I can remember, it was a group shot with some Whitechapel detectives from the period (was it 1886 or 1887?), the sort of photograph you'd expect to find him in, and I remember posters going over it and identifying whoever they could with the result that there was a question mark left over who this particular person was. So I recall, anyway. Nothing conclusive about whether it really was Abberline or not, though I'm not sure who else it might have been. At the time, I thought--pretty subjectively--that this fellow had a confident bearing, a sharp look, a solid type who knew what he was about.

Cheers,
Dave

[Jon Guy]

Hi Dave

My problem with Abberline been that man with the walking stick in the H Div photo is that he would have been around 44 yrs at the time, the man in the photo looks to be in his late or mid 50`s.

Another possible photo opportunity would be in the local Bournemouth newspapers, where Abberline may have entered his roses in local horticultural competitions.

[Robert]

With our luck we'd probably find the roses had been photographed instead of their grower.

[Jon Guy]

Robert, I can describe the photo for you now, it will be a grainy photo of a flowering bush in a front garden flanked by the winner, the Mayor, and the Chairman of the local Horticultural society and his wife.

[Mike Covell]

There was a photo that appeared in Scotland Yard Investigates, on page 25 that looked at the possibility of one of the police officers being Abberline. The image was taken at the rear of Leman-street Police Station and featured H-Division in 1887. One of the gentlemen pictured is a bowler hatted, mutton chapped man, fitting the description of Abberline.

Jack the Ripper-Scotland Yard Investigates was written by Stewart P. Evans and Donald Rumbelow, Sutton Publishing, 2006.

There was also an article in Issue 26 of Ripper Notes, which was published in 2006, by Julie Stangeland looking at the same image but proposing another gentleman.

More recently the image has appeared on a website where the author claims to have made the discovery herself!

[Jon Guy]

Hi Mike

I can`t believe that mutton chops is 44 yrs old. Johnny Depp was the right age for Abberline when he filmed From Hell, Michael Caine was ten years too old when he played the part as he was in his 50`s, but I suppose those Victorians were photogenically austere.

[Mike Covell]

You should see me in my photo's...or maybe not! I am 30 going on 60!

[Sam Flynn]

There was also an article in Issue 26 of Ripper Notes, which was published in 2006, by Julie Stangeland looking at the same image but proposing another gentleman.

I haven't seen that article, but if it was the same "other" gentleman as I think it was, I'd tend to agree with her.

[Jon Guy]

Which "other" gent do you mean, Sam?

[Chris]

Can anyone tell me what exactly has been traced of Abberline's family, and whether it's known what happened to his personal papers after his and his wife's deaths?

[Sam Flynn]

Which "other" gent do you mean, Sam?

Chap in the middle, Jon...

[Jane Coram]

There are actually four sketches of Abberline that I have found....(I don't think I've seen any others, and they are posted here. I recently did a portrait of Abberline from one of the sketches and am in the process of doing another, although there has to be some guesswork. I couldn't find any record of the colour of his eyes, so guessed at brown. Anyone have any idea?

I'm 100% convinced that the photo above on this thread is Abberline, having spent so much time staring at him! I think it matches up very well with the newspaper sketch - for what it's worth.

Love

Jane

xxxxx