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The Notorious Tale of a Gilded Age Spy
Join author Elizabeth A. DeWolfe as she discusses and reads from her newly published book Alias Agnes: The Notorious Tale of a Gilded Age Spy.
Researched in part in the Lexington Public Library's Kentucky Room, Alias Agnes is the story of Jane Armstrong Tucker, a Boston stenographer scrabbling to get by as a single woman in the Gilded Age, until she is offered a once-in-a-lifetime job, to go undercover as a detective, alias Agnes Parker, with a ten-week mission.
Her target: Madeleine Pollard, former mistress of Congressman William C.P. Breckinridge. Madeleine Pollard was a Kentuckian with humble roots who had used charisma to work her way into the parlors of the Washington, DC, elite. Pollard sued Breckinridge for breach of promise when he failed to marry her.
Exploring the intricacies of the trial and scandal that captivated the nation, author Elizabeth A. DeWolfe demonstrates that a shared lack of power does not always lead to alliances among women. DeWolfe uncovers the strategies women used to make their way in the world, drawing parallels between the previously forgotten and incomplete tales of Tucker, Pollard, and the women who testified in the trial—from formerly enslaved persons, to white socialites, to single government clerks, to divorced physicians.
On display will also be the only extant copy of The Real Madeleine Pollard, Jane Tucker's tell-all book, written immediately following the trial the in hopes of building public sympathy in advance of a planned appeal of the verdict and Breckinridge's reelection campaign.
Book signing to follow. With copies of Alias Agnes available for purchase from A Likely Story Books.
Registration suggested.
AGE GROUP: | Adults (18+) |
EVENT TYPE: | Genealogy & Local History | Books, Writing & Authors |
| Mon, Sep 22 | 9:30AM to 7:00PM |
| Tue, Sep 23 | 9:30AM to 7:00PM |
| Wed, Sep 24 | 9:30AM to 7:00PM |
| Thu, Sep 25 | 9:30AM to 7:00PM |
| Fri, Sep 26 | 9:30AM to 6:00PM |
| Sat, Sep 27 | 9:30AM to 5:00PM |
| Sun, Sep 28 | 1:00PM to 5:00PM |
The Central Library is located on East Main Street in downtown Lexington next to Phoenix Park.
