Alias Agnes : the notorious tale of a gilded age spy / Elizabeth A. DeWolfe.
| Author/creator | DeWolfe, Elizabeth A. author. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication | Lexington, KY : University Press of Kentucky, [2025] |
| Copyright Date | ©2025 |
| Description | xviii, 329 pages, 14 pages of plates : illustrations ; 23 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | Hastily, Jane -- My dear Mr. Rodes -- A considerable surprise -- No mistakes -- Pitiful stories -- The stenographer's guide to spying -- So darned clever in my work -- A fellow woman, ambitious and smart -- The only chance a girl will get -- Hems to the tops of her shoes -- So like a woman -- Happiest woman in Washington -- French dressing -- Treacherous type-writers, she-fanatics, and the short-haired women of Boston -- The eve of my Waterloo -- The trouble with all detective stories. |
| Abstract | "Jane Armstrong Tucker was a Boston stenographer scrabbling to get by as a single woman in the Gilded Age, until she was offered a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Madeleine Pollard was a Kentuckian with humble roots who had used charisma to work her way into the parlors of the Washington, DC, elite. Tucker hid behind an alias--Agnes Parker--but Pollard had a secret, too. Alias Agnes details the story of Jane Tucker, who took a job as an undercover detective with a ten-week mission. Her target: Madeleine Pollard, former mistress of Congressman William C. P. Breckinridge, whom she had sued for breach of promise when he failed to marry her. Exploring the intricacies of this trial and a scandal that captivated the nation, author Elizabeth A. DeWolfe demonstrates that a shared lack of power did not always lead to alliances among women. DeWolfe uncovers the strategies women used to make their way in the world, drawing parallels between the previously forgotten and incomplete tales of Tucker, Pollard, and the women who testified in the trial--from formerly enslaved persons, to white socialites, to single government clerks, to divorced physicians. Written in engaging prose with all the intrigue and suspense of a detective tale, Alias Agnes chronicles the lives of women at the cusp of the twentieth century--the opportunities that beckoned them and the challenges that thwarted their dreams." -- Provided by publisher |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 293-320) and index. |
| ISBN | 1985902230 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | 9781985902237 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | 1985902249 (paperback) |
| ISBN | 9781985902244 (paperback) |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joyner | Item has been checked out | HQ1413 .T83 D49 2025 | Due 08/21/2026 | Want This? |