Mary Frith (c. 1584-1659), also known as Moll (or Mal) Cutpurse, was a notorious pickpocket and fence of the London underworld. She wore men's clothing, kept parrots, bred mastiffs, and was the first English woman known to smoke. Several plays were written about her during her lifetime. The Life of Mrs Mary Frith, a sensationalized biography written three years after her death, helped to mythologize her. From "Collection of four hundred portraits of remarkable, eccentric and notorious personages," circa 1880. Colorized.

---

Size: 2400px × 2994px
Location:
Photo credit: © Science History Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 17th, art, british, century, colorized, criminal, cutpurse, drag, english, engraving, enhanced, famous, female, frith, gang, gender-bending, history, illustration, infamous, leader, mal, mary, moll, person, pickpocket, portrait, print, thief, unconventional, underworld, unusual, woman