Eugène-François Vidocq

Before Sherlock Holmes, before Hercule Poirot, there was the man who inspired them both: Eugène-François Vidocq.

Few lives were as extraordinary as that of Eugène-François Vidocq (1775–1857).

A former criminal turned detective, Vidocq turned his knowledge of the underworld into a force for justice. He founded one of France’s first plainclothes detective units and is widely regarded as one of the fathers of criminal investigation.

His remarkable life inspired legendary literary characters created by Victor Hugo, Edgar Allan Poe, and Arthur Conan Doyle.

Sometimes the most remarkable stories begin in the shadows.