The Art Thief Who Fell in Love With His Biggest Score

Dirty Money

Adam Worth was the Victorian Era’s most infamous thief. He was so sneaky, so devious and so damn good at his job that he became Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s inspiration for Dr. Moriarity, arch-nemesis of Sherlock Holmes. Worth’s exploits earned him the nickname “The Napoleon of Crime,” a nod to his ceaseless drive to steal anything that wasn’t nailed to the floor. (And even if it was, he’d steal it anyway.) Worth and an array of ne’er-do-wells were as innovative as they were crooked, tunneling their way into bank vaults from adjacent building basements, setting up shape-shifting illegal gambling dens and slipping into new countries and identities when things got too hot. Worth was pursued across continents by the Pinkerton detective agency (which would one day become the Secret Service) and he cemented his status as one of the greatest thieves in history when he stole an incredibly famous painting of Georgiana Cavendish, The Duchess of Devonshire, right off the wall of a London gallery. Worth held onto the pilfered portrait for years, chauffeuring it around the world in the false bottom of a luggage trunk. Some say he was waiting for the right moment to sell it, others believe he fell in love with the Duchess’s beguiling image. So how did it end for the art thief and his prized score? Listen to the episode and if you like it (of course you will!) please leave our little show a big fat five-star rating and a review. Your comments might be featured in a future episode. Thanks as always for listening!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices