File:Somdomite.jpg

DescriptionSomdomite.jpg	English: Card of John Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry with "For Oscar Wilde posing as somdomite"[sic] written on it ("posing as" added according to lawyers' advice). Español: Nota que le dejó el marqués de Queensberry a Oscar Wilde, en el club que éste frecuentaba.
Date	card printed 1895 or before, written on 1895
Source	This file is from the collections of The National Archives (United Kingdom), catalogued under document record CRIM1/41/6. For high quality reproductions of any item from The National Archives collection please contact the image library. This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing. العربيَّة | English | français | italiano | македонски | +/−   http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/museum/item.asp?item_id=41 Originally uploaded to en.wikipedia (file log)
Author	John Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry, died 1900

Recovered from http://www.revistaaxolotl.com.ar/sent03.html.

The image is a reproduction of the Marquis of Queensberry's visiting card that he left for Wilde at the Albermarle Club, London, in 1895, and which precipitated Wilde's law suit against him for criminal libel.

The words are probably intended to read For Oscar Wilde posing as a Sodomite. However, Queensberry, either in rage or ignorance, misspelled Sodomite as Somdomite, and may have omitted the words as and a.

The letter A in the bottom left corner was added at the time of the trial to indicate that it was exhibit A.

Here is the evidence of the club porter, Sidney Wright, from the trial:

"On 18th February the Marquess of Queensberry handed me the card which has been produced. Before handing me the card Lord Queensberry wrote some words on it. Lord Queensberry said he wished me to give that to Mr. Wilde. I looked at the card but did not understand it. I made an entry on the back of it of the date and the time at which it was handed to me. I put it in an envelope which I addressed 'Mr. Oscar Wilde'. When Mr. Oscar Wilde came to the club, on 28th February, I handed it to him, saying that Lord Queensberry had wished me to give it to Mr. Wilde."

The envelope was exhibit B at the trial.

Interestingly, Queensberry used the word "posing" rather than a direct accusation. This, coupled with the dubious harm upon Wilde's reputation, make the motive for Wilde's law suit questionable.

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