A soirée with Madeleine Smith

Madeleine Smith: Socialite, femme fatale, murderess?

Probably one of the most famous Not Proven cases in Scottish legal history is that of Madeleine Smith, accused in 1857 of murdering by poison, her lover Pierre Emile L'Angelier. Victorian society was scandalised, finding it difficult to cope with the outspoken correspondence quoted during the trial and with the astonishing coolness of the female defendant facing a capital charge.

Madeleine, daughter of a prominent Glasgow architect, James Smith of Blythswood Square, met L'Angelier in 1855. He was a ten-shillings-a-week clerk from Jersey and as such an impossible match for her. Their friendship developed into a clandestine love affair, openly revealed in her letters.

We'll be hearing from Madeleine in her own words, as we explore her letters to her lover, Pierre Emile l'Angelier, 13 of which are held in the Mitchell Library.

Join us as we enjoy existing collections, and unveil a brand new acquisition to the Mitchell Library, relating to the celebrated trial.