‘Portrait Sketches of Supposed Whitechapel Monster’ by an anonymous artist

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Portrait sketches of the supposed Whitechapel monster

1888

Wood engraving by an unknown engraver

The Illustrated Police News (20 November, 1888): detail of front cover

This is another version of the menacing foreigner, who is probably intended to be a Jew; the glaring eyes and curling moustache add to the concept of the Ripper as a melodramatic villain. [Commentary continues below.]

Image scan and text by Simon Cooke

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This image is also interesting because it shows the suspect as a well-dressed gentleman, a cad who is perhaps the ‘doctor type’ or ‘professional man’ that recurs throughout the Ripper discourse. The Ripper case is unusual insofar as it cut across the classes, with suspects being drawn from all stations of life, even if the main focus was on the underclass of Whitechapel.

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Judaism in Victorian Britain

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Created 30 May 2025