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Exceptional vintage matte-finish 5.75 x 7.75 full-length photo of Arthur Conan Doyle standing beside top criminal lawyer Craigie Aitchison outside of the Edinburgh High Court in 1928, where the author attended the famous court case of Oscar Slater, affixed to its original 7.25 x 10.25 presentation mount, which is signed neatly in black ink, “Arthur Conan Doyle,” who adds to the right, “The final round of a long fight. Justice versus the Powers of Darkness.” The mount is also signed in pencil by the photographer. Framed to a slightly larger size and in very good to fine condition, with silvering to the image, and scattered light foxing and small stains to the mount (one of which affects the date).
Oscar Slater (1872-1948) was the victim of a notorious miscarriage of justice in 1908. A Jewish immigrant from Germany, Slater was accused of the murder and robbery of a woman with whom he had had only coincidental contact. Despite strong evidence to the contrary, Slater was convicted of the crimes and sentenced to death, which was commuted due to a petition signed by nearly 20,000 people. Slater spent two decades in prison until his sentence was finally quashed in July 1928 in a session attended by Conan Doyle. This photograph was likely taken on the very day that Slater was finally acquitted of his charges. Conan Doyle had taken a keen interest in the case, which he had compared to the Dreyfus trial, and was involved in Slater's 1928 appeal.
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