portraits
The forgotten queen of crime fiction
Josephine Tey's early death denied her a rightful place among the pantheon of crime writers.
Alec Marsh
October 10, 2025
Portraits
Our writers profile individuals, some of them overlooked, and explore how they shaped the world as we know it.
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portraits
Rachel Ruysch and the bounties of nature
The first woman to be admitted to The Hague’s artistic society, Rachel Ruysch was a great innovator who illuminated the wonders of the natural world.
Cath Pound
September 26, 2025
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portraits
Blood Red Rosalia
In a humane world, Rosalia Zemlyachka, the first woman ever awarded the Order of the Red Banner, would be infamous for her sadism, her methods and the sheer scale of her butchery.
Catherine Merridale
September 16, 2025
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portraits
Karin Lannby, Sweden’s secret soldier
Talented, idealistic and unpredictable, Karin Lannby deployed her unique personality in the service of Swedish intelligence throughout the Second World War.
Henrik Berggren
September 4, 2025
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portraits
Josephine Baker’s secret war
The singer-turned-spy Josephine Baker played a key, and hitherto unacknowledged, role during the Second World War in the secret contest between Britain and France in the Middle Eas..
Matthew Hefler
August 22, 2025
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portraits
The man who brought Sweden in from the cold
During the first two decades of the Cold War, a former university librarian, Thede Palm, led Sweden’s military intelligence. His disregard for his country's official policy of non-..
Rikard Westerberg
July 30, 2025
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portraits
Who remembers Henry J. Kaiser?
The industrialist Henry J. Kaiser played a pivotal role in the lightning mobilisation of American industry that took place after Pearl Harbor, a contribution that deserves wider re..
Gordon F. Sander
July 21, 2025
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portraits
Agent Zo, the spy who saved Poland
Agent Zo, Elżbieta Zawacka's cover name, was one of the most highly decorated women in Polish history, and one of the most brilliant spies in the history of espionage.
Clare Mulley
July 11, 2025
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portraits
Lillie Langtry and the business of beauty
The socialite Lillie Langtry's beauty first gained her fame, but it was her indomitable spirit, resourcefulness, and above all, her business acumen, that enabled her to convert her..
Elena Mary
June 13, 2025