Ennui by Sickert. Leaning over the left shoulder of the woman in the painting on the wall appears to be the partial face of a man coming up behind her. © Tate Gallery, London/Art Resource, NY.
Sickert’s stage name when he was an actor was “Mr. Nemo” or “Mr. Nobody.” On this Ripper telegram to the police “Mr. Nobody” is crossed out. Public Record Office, London.
Ripper letter with “R. St. w” initials at the bottom. Sickert sometimes used the initials “W” or “R” or “St.” Sometimes he was W. St. (Walter Sickert). Sometimes he was W (Walter), sometimes he was R (Richard). Is this a taunt? Public Record Office, London.
A Ripper letter with the drawing of a knife blade. Small but sharp.
Public Record Office, London.
The Ripper displays his facility with Latin in this note, signed “Mathematicus.” Sickert was fluent in Latin, too, and known for his mathematical and scientific mind. Public Record Office, London.
Ripper’s notorious “Ha Ha Ha” runs through dozens of his letters.
Public Record Office, London.
Note found in a bottle found on the shore between Deal and Sandwich, two towns across the Straits of Dover from Sickert’s beloved France. Public Record Office, London.
The Lizard guest house in Cornwall today. © Cornwell Enterprises.
Annotations and drawings in The Lizard guest book are believed to have been done by Sickert, possibly in October 1889. Sickert was quite familiar with Cornwall, and The Lizard was a haven for artists and the London upper class. Collection of Patricia Cornwell.
Compare this drawing in a Ripper letter to the drawing in the guest book. Public Record Office, London.
Drawing in The Lizard guest book believed to be by Sickert.
Collection of Patricia Cornwell.
Drawing of a “Pearly King” from a Ripper letter.
Public Record Office, London.
Left: The Lizard guest book. Right: a Ripper letter. Some art experts believe the two drawings were done by the same person and hint of Sickert’s technique. Sickert doodled, sometimes drawing what appear to be childish cartoons and stick figures. His father did sketches and scripts for Punch and Judy.
Stick figures in a Sickert letter to Jacques-Emile Blanche.
Stick figures in this Ripper letter are reminiscent of Punch and Judy violence. Another Ripper letter uses the return address of “Punch & Judy St.” Public Record Office, London.
The sickly but gentle Christine Angus (middle), a former Sickert art student and his second wife. Tate Gallery Archive, Photograph Collection.
THE MANY FACES OF SICKERT:
Charming and handsome.
Collection of Islington Libraries, London.
A top hat and a shadow.
Collection of Islington Libraries, London.
When the mood struck, he shaved his head.
Collection of Islington Libraries, London.
Sickert with Thérèse Lessore, his third wife, in his paper landfill, the final days.
Illustrated London News Picture Library.
TITLES BY PATRICIA CORNWELL
SCARPETTA SERIES
Book of the Dead
Predator
Blow Fly
The Last Precinct
Black Notice
Point of Origin
Unnatural Exposure
Cause of Death
From Potter’s Field
The Body Farm
Cruel & Unusual
All That Remains
Body of Evidence
Postmortem
ANDY BRAZIL SERIES
Isle of Dogs
Southern Cross
Hornet’s Nest
At Risk
NONFICTION
Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper—Case Closed
BIOGRAPHY
Ruth, A Portrait: The Story of Ruth Bell Graham
(also published as A Time for Remembering:
The Story of Ruth Bell Graham)
OTHER WORKS
Food to Die For: Secrets from Kay Scarpetta’s Kitchen
Life’s Little Fable
Scarpetta’s Winter Table