Spy Collection

A moment from the final sequence of Ice Cold In Alex (1957)
with Anthony Quayle, Harry Andrews, Sylvia Syms and John Mills

Propaganda poster: careless talk costs lives
Second world war propaganda poster warning people that careless talk costs lives. Tell nobody -- not even her

John Mills Basil Hoskins and Anthony Quayle
in a scene from Ice Cold In Alex (1957)

Soviet Spy Kim Philby holds a press conference after being cleared of spying by the Foreign Office. October 1955 P009631

Yorkshire Cricket, 1892. Artist: Spy
Yorkshire Cricket, 1892. A portrait of Lord Hawke. Martin Bladen Hawke, 7th Baron Hawke (1860-1938) captained the Yorkshire County Cricket Club for 28 seasons

WW1 - German Espionage - in disguise as a woman
WW1 - The Little German Maid - German Espionage - a German soldier prepares to get into disguise as a woman in order to infiltrate an approaching band of allied cavalry troops. Date: 1915

A Radical Lawyer, 1902. Artist: Spy
A Radical Lawyer, 1902. John Lawson Walton KC MP, British barrister and politician. Walton served as Attorney General from 1905-1908. Cartoon from Vanity Fair, 6th March 1902

Thomas Colleton Garth, Vanity Fair, Spy
THOMAS COLLETON GARTH (1822-1907) Master of the Garth foxhounds for over 50 years. In riding clothes, wearing boots and spurs. Caption: A Very Old Master Date: 1822-1907

Sir Charles Cox, Vanity Fair, Spy
CHARLES COX (1810-1892) Held various positions in the Colonial Office between 1829 and 1879. Caption: Colonial Date: 1810 - 1892

Earl of Clarendon, Vanity Fair, Spy
EDWARD HYDE VILLIERS, 5th Earl of Clarendon (1846 -1914) Lord Hyde between 1846 and 1870. British Liberal Unionist politician and sportsman. Caption: The Lord Chamberlain Date: 1846 - 1914

Napoleon and Spyglass
Mounted on his horse Marengo, He watches the progress of a battle with the aid of a spy- glass

Alfred A. G. Hales, Vanity Fair, Spy
ALFRED ARTHUR GREENWOOD HALES (1860-1936) Australian novelist and war correspondent. Caption: Peace and War Date: 1860 - 1936

John Passmore Edwards, Vanity Fair, Spy
JOHN PASSMORE EDWARDS MP (1823 - 1911) Liberal Member of Parliament for Salisbury, Philanthropist, British journalist, owner and editor of the London newspaper The Echo

Keep Mum - The World Has Ears. American World War II poster for the Thirteenth Naval District of the U. S
WORLD WAR II POSTER, c1942. Keep Mum - The World Has Ears. American World War II poster for the Thirteenth Naval District of the U.S. Navy, c1942, warning against the dangers of careless talk

Fencing Match Between Mademoiselle La Chevaliere D Eon De Beaumont and Monsieur De Saint George, 1787. After Charles Jean Robineau. From Connoisseur Extra No. 5 - Old Sporting Prints by Ralph Nevill

The Prime Minister: Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne Cecil, 3rd Marquis of Salisbury (1830-1903) British Conservative statesman. Prime Minister 1885, 1886, 1895-1902, in 1900

Ranjitsinhji / Spy / V. Fair
Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji Rajput nobleman and English cricketer who played for Sussex

The meeting, from The Adventures of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (1812-70) 1838
KW243077 The meeting, from The Adventures of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (1812-70) 1838, published by Chapman & Hall, 1901 (engraving) by Cruikshank

Military spy - a camera carrying pigeon
A pigeon as a military spy. A camera small enough to be attached on a bird to capture ariel images, ideal for war time spying. The camera is automatic and takes a photograph at regular intervals

A montage of images
to promote The Avengers episode Dead Mans Treasure

Actor Richard Burton pictured in a London pub during the filming of " The Spy who came in from the cold". May 1965

Charles Thurston Fogg-Elliot, 1894. Artist: Sir Leslie Matthew Ward
Charles Thurston Fogg-Elliot, 1894. A portrait of Charles Thurston Fogg-Elliot (1870-1955). [Vanity Fair, 1894]

Frederick Leverton Harris, Vanity Fair, Spy
FREDERICK LEVERTON HARRIS (1864-1926) British Politician, statesman and Member of Parliament for Tynemouth (1900-1906), Stepney (1907-1910) and East Worcestershire (1914-1918) Date: 1864 - 1926

Lord Elcho, Vanity Fair, Spy
HUGO RICHARD CHARTERIS, 11th Earl of Wemyss and 7th Earl of March (1857-1937), styled Lord Elcho from 1883 to 1914. Scottish Conservative politician. Caption: Derby Day Date: 1857-1937

The capture of Major John Andre in 1780. Lithograph, 1876, by Currier & Ives
JOHN ANDRE (1750-1780). The capture of Major John Andre in 1780. Lithograph, 1876, by Currier & Ives

Admiral Edward Hobart Seymour
Admiral Sir Edward Hobart Seymour in a Vanity Fair cartoon by Spy. Seymour (1840 - 1929) was a Royal Navy officer and Commander-in-Chief of the China Station during the Boxer Rebellion

Lotus Esprit S3 Britain

Sir Polydore de Keyser, Vanity Fair, Spy
Sir Polydore de Keyser (18321898) - a lawyer and the first Roman Catholic since the Reformation to be elected Lord Mayor of London (October 1887 to November 1888)

Curiosity, from the Pears Annual, Christmas, 1892
BAL8679 Curiosity, from the Pears Annual, Christmas, 1892 by Bls, Eugen von (1843-1931); Private Collection; Austrian, out of copyright

Arnolds treason discovered with the arrest of John Andre, 1780
British agent Andre trying to bribe his captors with his watch to avoid discovery of Arnolds treason, 1780. Hand-colored engraving of a 19th-century illustration

Horace, Lord Farquhar, British financier and politician, 1898. Artist: Spy
Horace, Lord Farquhar, British financier and politician, 1898. Farquhar (1844-1923) served as Treasurer of the Conservative Party from 1911-1923. A print from Vanity Fair, June 2nd 1898

Plausible, 1902. Artist: Spy
Plausible, 1902. Mr Justice Swinfen Eady, British lawyer and judge. Eady (1851-1919) became a QC in 1893 and a High Court Judge in 1901. He served as Master of the Rolls from 1918-1919

John Stuart Mill, British social reformer and philosopher, 1873. Artist: Spy
John Stuart Mill, British social reformer and philosopher, 1873. An advocate of utilitarianism, Mill (1806-1873) was probably the most influential liberal thinker of the 19th century

Thomas Merthyr Guest, Vanity Fair, CG
THOMAS MERTHYR GUEST (1838-1904) Wealthy landowner, shown on horseback in red hunting jacket, smoking a pipe. Caption: Blackmore Vale Date: 1838 - 1904

6th Earl of Donoughmore, Vanity Fair, Spy
RICHARD WALTER HELY-HUTCHINSON, 6th Earl of Donoughmore (1875-1948) Irish peer and politician. Caption: A most discreet under secretary, drawn for the first time Date: 1848 - 1900

Sir Godfrey Baring, Vanity Fair, Spy
SIR GODFREY BARING, 1st Baronet (1871-1957) Liberal Member of Parliament for Barnstaple and the Isle of Wight. Caption: Isle of Wight Date: 1871 - 1957

Kim Philby, Soviet double agent C013 / 5334
Kim Philby (1912-1988). Portrait of the Soviet double agent Harold Adrian Russell Kim Philby (centre) with his wife Rufina

Invisible ink
Coded invisible ink message demonstrated by German spy Kurt H de Rysbach, 1915 Date: 1915

Cheeky American Military postcard
A GI uses his position to his advantage, stopping and searching a pretty young girl who he accuses of being a spy! I think he has just spied something else however... Date: 1941

LIONEL BUSTER CRABB Commander Crabb, underwater sabotage agent and alleged double-agent, who disappeared whilst investigating the Russian cruiser Ordkhonikidze Date: 1910 - 1956

US Civil War observation balloon, 19th century artwork. The balloon, near Gaines Mill, Virginia, USA, is being inflated by gas being piped through tubes from the containers at left

MQ-9 Reaper spyplane. This unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), formerly called RQ-9 Predator B, is piloted remotely and powered by the propeller at the rear (left)

Rudyard Kipling / Spy
English writer, Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

Man & Woman Costume 1806
Man: top hat, top boots, drab coat with sleeves padded & gathered at the shoulder, breeches. Woman: close bonnet, blue pelisse, short cape, vandyked falling collar

Js Mill (Spy)
JOHN STUART MILL philosopher

The Boyhood of Raleigh, after the painting by Sir John Everett Millais. Walter, and his older brother, seated on the ground listening to a sailors story. Sir Walter Raleigh, c.?1552 /1554 - 1618

Captain Richard Francis Burton
2905711 Captain Richard Francis Burton by English Photographer, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Captain Richard Francis Burton)

E. W. Beckett MP, Vanity Fair, Spy
ERNEST WILLIAM BECKETT MP, 2nd Baron Grimthorpe (1856-1917) born Ernest William Denison. British banker and Conservative politician. Caption: Whitby Date: 1856-1917

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"Unveiling the Intrigue: A Glimpse into the World of Spies" In a moment reminiscent of the final sequence from the classic film "Ice Cold In Alex" (1957), Thomas Colleton Garth's captivating article in Vanity Fair sheds light on the enigmatic realm of espionage. From John Mills, Basil Hoskins, and Anthony Quayle's gripping performances to a chilling propaganda poster reminding us that careless talk costs lives, every detail adds depth to this clandestine world. The intrigue deepens as we explore historical events like the fencing match between Mademoiselle La Chevaliere D Eon De Beaumont and Monsieur De Saint George, captured beautifully by artist Victor Marie Picot, and is here that we realize spies have existed throughout time, their secrets hidden behind masks both literal and metaphorical. Delving further into history, we uncover astonishing tales of German espionage during World War I when agents disguised themselves as women. Such audacity reminds us that spies will go to any lengths for their cause. Vanity Fair introduces us to notable figures who were not only subjects but also creators of intrigue. Sir Charles Cox, Earl of Clarendon, and John Passmore Edwards all graced its pages with their enigmatic presence - individuals whose actions spoke louder than words. As we navigate through these stories, an American World War II poster catches our eye: "Keep Mum - The World Has Ears. " Crafted by Edward T. Grigware for the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project, it serves as a stark reminder of how loose lips can sink ships. Finally, Alfred A. G. Hales emerges from Vanity Fair's archives as yet another spy shrouded in mystery. His story intertwines with others featured within these pages – a web spun so intricately that one cannot help but be captivated by its complexity.