THE ART OF MURDER THE STRANGE CASE OF WALTER SICKERT AND JACK THE RIPPER

As a major exhibition devoted to Walter Sickert opens at Tate Britain, art historian BILLY ROUGH explores the longstanding association of the artist’s name with the Jack the Ripper murders of 1888, tracing the stages by which one of the most important British painters of his generation became linked to a ghoulish story deeply embedded in our cultural psyche.

Whitechapel, London, the autumn of 1888. Through the midnight streets stalks a dark figure, wrapped in a long, checkered coat. As the secretive figure makes his way along Copenhagen Street, he attracts the attention of a group of young girls. Talk of “Jack” is in the air and strangers are viewed with suspicion. The terrified girls scatter, screaming, “Jack the Ripper, Jack the Ripper!” The figure moves silently on, through Kings Cross, toward Hampstead, sinking back into the shadows. The story is intriguing. Had these girls actually come face to face with the notorious Jack? What’s curious about the encounter is that we actually know exactly who that figure in the checkered coat was – as he gleefully admitted to it. He was a man who would later come to…

You're reading a preview of

Fortean Times (Digital) - 1 Issue, 419

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.