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| Oscar Wilde, Age 2 |
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| http://www.skylinesongs.com/oscarwilde4.jpg |
Wilde's eccentric mother Speranza (a poet herself) was so disappointed by having a second
son instead of a daughter that she would often dress Oscar up like a girl, as in the photo above. These photos did not escape
public scrutiny and some of Wilde's critics accused this habit of his mother's for ultimately causing Wilde's homoerotic tendencies.
| Oscar Wilde on His American Lecture Tour, 1882 |
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| http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200710/r191541_721681.jpg |
| Oscar Wilde on His American Lecture Tour, 1882 |
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| http://affordablehousinginstitute.org/blogs/us/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/imagesoscar-wilde-2-small. |
The two images shown above are just two of a group of such pictures taken by Saxony, a New
York photographer who was "all the rage" during Wilde's American Tour. Becuase he saw himself as a fashion icon, these pictures
were taken with the kind of pomp that now characterizes Wilde. They are also the most widely recognized pictures of Wilde.
| Caricature of Wilde in Punch Magazine |
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| http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Punch_-_Oscar_Wilde.png/356px-Punch_-_Oscar |
As Oscar's fame continued to rise and he became the most widely recognized figure of the Aesthetic
Movement, opponents of the movement, espceailly those working with the parody magazine PUNCH began to make many hostile
cartoons of Wilde. In this cartoon, Wilde's poetry is attacked as being too tame.
| Costance Lloyd Wilde and First Son, Cyril Wilde |
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| http://www.skylinesongs.com/Constance_and_Cyril.jpg |
Wilde's wife, Constance Lloyd Wilde with their first son, Cyril Wilde.
| Robert Ross, Age 22 |
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| http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons /5/52/Robert_Ross_at_24.jpg |
Robert "Robbie" Ross, constant companion and freind of Wilde. Ross also holds the distinction
of being the Wilde's first male lover and although relations were discontinued not long after they began, Ross proved to be
an ardent lover supporting Wilde throughout his hardships, being his link to the outside world during imprisonment, and even
making sure Wilde was treated correctly after his death.
| Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred "Bosie" Douglas |
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| http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/79520895.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF1934849998ACB8635352 |
One of many but arguably the most famous of pictures taken of Oscar with his young, oftentimes-difficult
lover. Alfred, a spoiled aristocrat, was bad news for Wilde but Wilde's adoration made it impossible to leave him. Ultimately,
Bosie's father was the cause of Oscar's fall from grace.
| Lord Queenberry's Highly Insulting Calling Card |
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| http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/82/Somdomite.jpg/250px-Somdomite.jpg |
This calling card belonged to Lord Alfred's father the mad Lord Queensbury. For months Lord
Queensberry had suspected Oscar and Bosie's relationship and had many times harassed both parties about it. Upon being refused
entry to Wilde's Gentlemen's club to cause trouble he left a calling card for Wilde accusing him of being a "Somdomite" (which
was Queensberry's ignorant way of spelling sodomite). The incident proved hugely embarassing to Wilde and Bosie convinced
Wilde to sue his father for harassment. This card would become Exhibit A in what ultimately turned on Wilde to become his
own trial.
| Reading Gaol |
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| http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/English_Literature/Earnest/reading.GIF |
Reading Gaol, the prison Wilde spent three years in for indecency charges. While in prison,
Wilde worked in the library and wrote one of his most emotional works, a long letter to ex-loxer Lord Alfred Douglas entitled
"Des Profundis". It was in this prison, as well, that Wilde got the inspiration for what is rarely challenged as his most
beautiful poem, "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" (based on the true story of an inmate).
| Statue of Oscar Wilde in Dublin, Ireland |
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| http://www.ego4u.com/images/literature/wilde-statue.jpg |
| Stephen Fry as Wilde in the 1998 Film |
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| http://www.monstersandcritics.de/downloads/downloads/articles/14077/article_images/image3_1183509799 |
| The Coveted Oscar Wilde Action Figure |
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| http://www.mcphee.com/pixlarge/11449.jpg |
Three examples of how popular Wilde still is today: a famous statue of Wilde in Merrion
Square, Dublin, Ireland is a destination for many fans from around the world; Stephen Fry as gives a brilliant and uncanny
performance as Wilde in the 1998 biographical film, Wilde; a popular line of unorthodox action figures released
an Oscar Wilde action figure to stand along other strange canidates for toys such as Marie Antoinette and Jesus.
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