Fakes and Forgeries
This display highlights the spurious documents and claims of the 19th-century forgers Antique Smith, the Sobieski Stuarts, and Major Byron. It showcases their handiwork, such as forged letters, poems, and historical texts, alongside authentic examples from the Library's collections.
'Fakes and Forgeries' sheds light on the connections between fame, scholarship, emotion and financial value. Forgers succeed because we want to believe what they are selling.
The impact of a small number of 19th-century forgers can still be felt today. Anyone researching or collecting historical documents needs to remain vigilant.
Can you tell the difference?
Gallery
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'Vestiarium Scoticum' by the Sobieski Stuarts (1842).
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An Antique Smith forgery of Robert Burns’s poem 'To a Louse' along with a genuine Burns sonnet composed following the death of Robert Riddell of Glenriddell.
Smith forgery courtesy of National Museums Scotland.
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Major Byron used printed and original sources about the poet Lord Byron to create forged letters.
