Category Archives: Victorian forensic science

Murder Mysteries

Posted on March 11, 2013 by

Do you know who Svengali was, or Count Fosco, or Lydia Gwilt? All were famous villians of nineteenth century murder mysteries. All three raised issues about the society of the time 1860s  to 1890s. After the discovery of “mesmerism” in … Continue reading →

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The most difficult type of murder to solve in Victorian times

Posted on January 18, 2012 by

Without access to modern forensic science, Victorian crime fighters were often stuck when it came to murder by poison. A good example of this kind of crime were the proven murders committed by Stanislaws Kosloski, a.k.a John Chapman, one of … Continue reading →

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Could the real Sherlock Holmes have stopped Jack the Ripper?

Posted on December 12, 2011 by

Many people do not realize that Sherlock Holmes was based on a real person: Dr. Joseph Bell, one of the world’s first forensic pathologists. In more than one case Bell’s careful forensic method led to hanging a murderer who would … Continue reading →

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Crime and detection in the Victorian era

Posted on November 22, 2011 by

One of the uses of photography in Victorian times was to raise money. John Barnardo, famous founder of charities for street children used photos of ragged children to get people involved with his work. Some of the images he used … Continue reading →

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