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Argh - I made a huge long post and the system logged me out and when I re-entered the password it has all been wiped off. I've got to do it ALL again.
I'm a few hours from leaving Knoxville, but when I get back to the UK I know I will be too tired to do anything on this for a couple of days.
Those of you following the 2008 Conference Thread will know I discovered something which I spoke about during my talk. It lasted over an hour, so there's too much to deal with here and, besides, I'm planning a book on it. Please don't ask to see the photo. I won't be posting it. I am happy to show it to people face to face and I may put up some details from it on the boards, but I won't be putting up the whole image. This is purely to retain my association with it. If I put it up, it would be in magazines and books without me having any control on its use. I've done dozens and dozens of hours work on this over the last year. I'm not bothered about getting rich on it, I just want to retain my name with any use of it (besides, the one that will be seen is restored by me filling in cracks, chips, flakes and sorting out shading, brightness, colour saturation etc, which means I DO actually own copyright on it in spite of its age). Yes, it's for the sake of my ego but, I think, a small price to pay for what the image is.
It is a photograph taken in late June or early July 1900 from Berner Street looking right down into Dutfields Yard. It was taken by a very rich American woman. I have a photo of her and I know everything about why she was in the UK, when she travelled, what she did afterwards - everything, it seems, except who she is. This work is still ongoing and may never yield the perfect answer.
The image was bought off eBay a year ago. I was the only bidder for this photo sold as SCENE OF THE WHITECHAPEL MURDERS and obtained it for $4.95 from a US seller named Larry Lingle. When it arrived, so much clearer than the eBay page, I made enquiries with people like Rob Clack, Jake Luukanen and Colin Roberts to ensure I had what I thought I had. And I have, without the smallest shadow of doubt.
It is taken on the street, low down, looking right down the length of the yard. Locals are lining the yard, smiling to the camera. The murder spot has no one standing on it. The photographer and locals clearly knew why she was there. You can clearly see the door and windows of the IWEC (which had relocated by 1900) and Suzi - there are two cats in the doorway.
At the end of the yard you see the cabinet makers' on the upper floor. Two men in aprons are in the doorway. There is a large lamp affixed to the wall by the cottages (not seen) behind #42. There is a stopper in the middle of the yard where the gates close (railed like in the 1909 shot by 1900). You can see the roofline of buildings we know were in Back Church Lane in the distance.
This image is significant for several reasons :
1) It is the earliest known Ripper tourist photograph (it is still Victorian)
2) It is the only known photograph of the murder spot of Liz Stride
3) It was the final missing piece of the jigsaw to find images of all the murder spots of the Macnaghten Five.
It looks very like the illustration in the Harold Furniss FAMOUS CRIMES series. However, the stairs at the back of the yard are on the other side of the building (confirmed by the 1889 Goads map, in spite of what The Pictorial News of 1888 and Furniss drawing of 1903 show, begging the question did Furniss actually get the illustrations from old newspapers and not as they looked in 1903 after all) and, of course, there is only one door into the IWEC - not five like the Furniss indicates! Those others are, of course, windows.
I would like to thank those people who knew about the photograph who kept it to themselves as I had asked.
Feel free to ask questions.
PHILIP
I'm a few hours from leaving Knoxville, but when I get back to the UK I know I will be too tired to do anything on this for a couple of days.
Those of you following the 2008 Conference Thread will know I discovered something which I spoke about during my talk. It lasted over an hour, so there's too much to deal with here and, besides, I'm planning a book on it. Please don't ask to see the photo. I won't be posting it. I am happy to show it to people face to face and I may put up some details from it on the boards, but I won't be putting up the whole image. This is purely to retain my association with it. If I put it up, it would be in magazines and books without me having any control on its use. I've done dozens and dozens of hours work on this over the last year. I'm not bothered about getting rich on it, I just want to retain my name with any use of it (besides, the one that will be seen is restored by me filling in cracks, chips, flakes and sorting out shading, brightness, colour saturation etc, which means I DO actually own copyright on it in spite of its age). Yes, it's for the sake of my ego but, I think, a small price to pay for what the image is.
It is a photograph taken in late June or early July 1900 from Berner Street looking right down into Dutfields Yard. It was taken by a very rich American woman. I have a photo of her and I know everything about why she was in the UK, when she travelled, what she did afterwards - everything, it seems, except who she is. This work is still ongoing and may never yield the perfect answer.
The image was bought off eBay a year ago. I was the only bidder for this photo sold as SCENE OF THE WHITECHAPEL MURDERS and obtained it for $4.95 from a US seller named Larry Lingle. When it arrived, so much clearer than the eBay page, I made enquiries with people like Rob Clack, Jake Luukanen and Colin Roberts to ensure I had what I thought I had. And I have, without the smallest shadow of doubt.
It is taken on the street, low down, looking right down the length of the yard. Locals are lining the yard, smiling to the camera. The murder spot has no one standing on it. The photographer and locals clearly knew why she was there. You can clearly see the door and windows of the IWEC (which had relocated by 1900) and Suzi - there are two cats in the doorway.
At the end of the yard you see the cabinet makers' on the upper floor. Two men in aprons are in the doorway. There is a large lamp affixed to the wall by the cottages (not seen) behind #42. There is a stopper in the middle of the yard where the gates close (railed like in the 1909 shot by 1900). You can see the roofline of buildings we know were in Back Church Lane in the distance.
This image is significant for several reasons :
1) It is the earliest known Ripper tourist photograph (it is still Victorian)
2) It is the only known photograph of the murder spot of Liz Stride
3) It was the final missing piece of the jigsaw to find images of all the murder spots of the Macnaghten Five.
It looks very like the illustration in the Harold Furniss FAMOUS CRIMES series. However, the stairs at the back of the yard are on the other side of the building (confirmed by the 1889 Goads map, in spite of what The Pictorial News of 1888 and Furniss drawing of 1903 show, begging the question did Furniss actually get the illustrations from old newspapers and not as they looked in 1903 after all) and, of course, there is only one door into the IWEC - not five like the Furniss indicates! Those others are, of course, windows.
I would like to thank those people who knew about the photograph who kept it to themselves as I had asked.
Feel free to ask questions.
PHILIP
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