Fraud Collection

Farrows Bank Ltd. - The Peoples Bank - 1 Cheapside, London. In setting up the bank, Thomas Farrow wished not only that unsuspecting people in need of money to tide them over a period of temporary

British passport

The Hamburg Hydra Linnaeus revealed fake
Copperplate engraving with hand colouring by J. Chapman 1806 after engraving by Seba in his " Treasury of Natural History" (1734). In 1735 a young Linnaeus visited Hamburg

Helen Duncan - Ectoplasm & Teleplasmic hand
Piece of card showing two undated photographs of the Scottish medium Helen Duncan blindfolded during a sance, producing " ectoplasm" and a " hand"

Mediumship / Marriott
WILLIAMs MARRIOTT EXPOSES Marriott simulates Polish medium Stanislawa Tomczyks levitation of a glass tumbler in full light

British passport

American advertisement for Clark Stanleys Snake Oil Liniment, c1895
PATENT MEDICINE AD, c1895. American advertisement for Clark Stanleys Snake Oil Liniment, c1895

Deaths Laboratory. American cartoon, 1906, by Edward Windsor Kemble on the dangers of patent medicine
PATENT MEDICINE CARTOON. Deaths Laboratory. American cartoon, 1906, by Edward Windsor Kemble on the dangers of patent medicine and advertisers spurious claims to lure customers

DUTCH SCHULTZ (1902-1935). Originally, Arthur Flegenheimer. American gangster. Photographed at a courthouse in Malone, New York, after being acquitted of tax evasion, 1935

Poster, c1880, for Pratts Healing Ointment
AMERICAN PATENT MEDICINE. Poster, c1880, for Pratts Healing Ointment

Cunicularii or the Wise Men of Godliman in Consultation, 1726 (engraving)
XJF867967 Cunicularii or the Wise Men of Godliman in Consultation, 1726 (engraving) by Hogarth, William (1697-1764); Private Collection; (add.info.: Story of Mary Toft, the woman)

Piltdown forgery meeting
Meeting to present the extent of the forgery at the Geological Society of London at Burlington House on 30 June 1954

Late 19th century American patent medicine poster for Halls Hair Renewer
HAIR RESTORATIVE. Late 19th century American patent medicine poster for Halls Hair Renewer

Geologists at Piltdown
Geologists Association party visiting the pit at Piltdown on 12 July 1913

Photograph of the Scottish medium Helen Duncan during sance with " ectoplasm" wrapped around her head and the end tucked into her nostrils, May 1931

Notebook and wig of Justice Hawkins
A notebook and wig once belonging to the English Judge, Justice Hawkins (Henry Hawkins, 1st Baron Brampton), given to Horatio William Bottomley, Liberal MP

Jacob obtains the Blessing by Fraud, Before Christ 1760 Years, Genesis XXVII (engraving)
8658639 Jacob obtains the Blessing by Fraud, Before Christ 1760 Years, Genesis XXVII (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

False mediums in the stocks
2602569 False mediums in the stocks; (add.info.: False mediums in the stocks - the recommended treatment for the fraudulent mediums who were duping gullible people)

Poster for Houdini's fraud exposure show, 1909 (poster)
2909810 Poster for Houdini's fraud exposure show, 1909 (poster); (add.info.: Poster for Houdini's fraud exposure show)

Economy. Tax: the gabelle (tax on salt in France). Salt smugglers attacked by the king's soldiers
3434731 Economy. Tax: the gabelle (tax on salt in France). Salt smugglers attacked by the king's soldiers. Engraving in: Grands hommes et grands faits de l'industrie, France

A sailor cheated out of his share of the prize money by his navy. Unable to pay six guineas
FLO4717990 A sailor cheated out of his share of the prize money by his navy. Unable to pay six guineas, Jack Tar dies of grievance in the lobspound (prison)

Cartoon making fun of the craze for mediums
2602590 Cartoon making fun of the craze for mediums; (add.info.: Cartoon by John Leech from ''Punch'' making fun of the London craze for mediums, table-turning)

Plight of discredited mediums
2602568 Plight of discredited mediums; (add.info.: John Leech cartoon on the plight of discredited mediums after the exposure of Daniel Douglas Home's frauds)

Cartoon supporting the conviction of a medium
2602567 Cartoon supporting the conviction of a medium; (add.info.: Cartoon supporting the conviction of the medium 'Dr' Monck for duping gullible people with his fraudulent spiritualism)

A man who has been drawing bills of credit in his father's firm without permission being confronted by his parent
5616183 A man who has been drawing bills of credit in his father's firm without permission being confronted by his parent; (add.info)

Cartoon commenting on the widespread practice to water-down milk and charge the customer full price, 19th century
5308958 Cartoon commenting on the widespread practice to water-down milk and charge the customer full price, 19th century; (add.info)

The Case of Adolf Beck (litho)
8675695 The Case of Adolf Beck (litho) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Case of Adolf Beck)

Cartoon of a miser Screwby being duped by a bankrupt aristocrat with a parcel of fake parchments
FLO4717935 Cartoon of a miser Screwby being duped by a bankrupt aristocrat with a parcel of fake parchments. Copperplate engraving after a satirical illustration by Timothy Bobbin (John Collier)

Cartoon poking fun at the craze for seances
2602591 Cartoon poking fun at the craze for seances; (add.info.: John Leech cartoon from ''Punch'', London, 1853)

Housemaid startled by a tilt-top table turning
2602570 Housemaid startled by a tilt-top table turning; (add.info.: Housemaid startled by a tilt-top table turning spontaneously)

English Financier Geroge Hudson, 1849
1574537 English Financier Geroge Hudson, 1849; (add.info.: George Hudson (1800-1871) The Railway King. English financier and railway promoter

The Case of Adolf Beck (b/w photo)
8675724 The Case of Adolf Beck (b/w photo) by English photographer, (19th century) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Case of Adolf Beck)

The Celebrated Dealer Nishimura Exposing an Art Forger, 1875. Creator: Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
The Celebrated Dealer Nishimura Exposing an Art Forger, 1875. Series: The Postal News, no. 466

Cartoon from Puck, between 1880 and 1889. Creators: Joseph Keppler, Bernhard Gillam
Cartoon from Puck, between 1880 and 1889

Robert Crosser, Rep. from Ohio, Right, with T.K. Giragossian, 1917. Creator: Harris & Ewing. Robert Crosser, Rep
Robert Crosser, Rep. from Ohio, Right, with T.K. Giragossian, 1917. Rep. 1913-1923. Armenian inventor Garabed T. K. Giragossian claimed he had developed a perpetual motion device

T.K. Giragossian, 1917. Creator: Harris & Ewing. T.K. Giragossian, 1917. Creator: Harris & Ewing
T.K. Giragossian, 1917. Armenian inventor Garabed T. K. Giragossian claimed he had developed a perpetual motion device. The machine, named Garabed

David Lamar of Wall Street, 1913. Creator: Harris & Ewing. David Lamar of Wall Street, 1913. Creator: Harris & Ewing
David Lamar of Wall Street, 1913. American con man known as the Wolf of Wall Street

Snig's End - (from the Road), 1850. Creator: Unknown
Snig's End - (from the Road), 1850. View of the Chartist estate in Gloucestershire:..cottages built in the form of crescents;

Anne Jones, girlfriend of Ken Dodd, pictured during his tax fraud trail. 15th July 1989

Lester Piggott jockey prison cell Highpoint Open prison lying on bed reading newspaper 1988

Honor Victorious Over Fraud, sculpture by Vincenzo de'Rossi, in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence Florence Museo Nazionale del Bargello Statue Mannerism

LCC Weights and measures office. A collection of fraudulent weights and measures, at one of the offices. Weights filled with cork and wood, measures with false bottoms etc. 7th July 1932

George Carman QC for Ken Dodd, pictured during Ken Dodds tiral. 21st June 1989

Elizabeth Forsyth aide to fugitive businessman Asil Nadir at his company Polly Peck, pictured in Kyrenia Harbour in Northern Cyprus. 13th May 1993

Brian MacKinnon alias Brandon Lee. Picture of the 32 year old who passed himself off as a schoolboy at Bearsden Academy

Cures All the Ills of Man or Beast. Cartoon, 1921, by Rollin Kirby commenting on the resurrection of the Fordney
TARIFF BILL, 1921. Cures All the Ills of Man or Beast. Cartoon, 1921, by Rollin Kirby commenting on the resurrection of the Fordney Emergency Tariff Bill

Advert, Bryant & May's Patent Safety Matches. Date: 1868

Ethel Beenham, Harry Price's secretary, demonstrates how a skilful medium can perform any number of psychic phenomena even though her hands and feet are tied. Date: 1930s ?

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"Fraud: Unmasking Deceptions Throughout History" The British passport, a symbol of trust and authenticity, has been targeted by fraudsters seeking to exploit its credibility. Helen Duncan's controversial practices involving ectoplasm and teleplasmic hands raised suspicions about the legitimacy of her mediumship abilities. The Hamburg Hydra Linnaeus scandal exposed the fraudulent claims made by individuals attempting to pass off fake artifacts as genuine historical treasures. Marriott's questionable involvement in mediumship activities cast doubts on the authenticity of their spiritual connections. An American merchants trade card from 1885 promoting Cocaine Toothache Drops reveals an alarming disregard for ethical marketing towards both children and adults. Dutch Schultz, known originally as Arthur Flegenheimer, was an American gangster who managed to evade tax evasion charges but remained infamous for his fraudulent activities. A poster dating back to c1880 advertised Pratts Healing Ointment, raising questions about its actual healing properties and potential deceitful advertising tactics used at that time. Cunicularii or the Wise Men of Godliman in Consultation is an engraving from 1726 depicting a group claiming wisdom while potentially engaging in deceptive practices behind closed doors. Clark Stanleys Snake Oil Liniment advertisement from around 1895 exemplifies how false medical claims were employed to deceive consumers into purchasing ineffective products with no real benefits. Edward Windsor Kemble's cartoon "Death's Laboratory" (1906) highlighted the dangers associated with patent medicine and advertisers' spurious claims aimed at luring unsuspecting customers into buying dubious remedies. Throughout history, instances have plagued various domains – be it passports, spiritual mediums, historical artifacts, or even medicinal products – reminding us to remain vigilant against deception lurking beneath seemingly trustworthy facades.