The only known photograph
of a working-class man Oscar Wilde took an interest in has been
unearthed in a search of Reading Prison archives.
The picture of Henry Bushnell was found by Prof Peter
Stoneley, from the University of Reading, who carried out a study of
Wilde's fellow prisoners.
He said the playwright had been "attracted to" Bushnell but details of their relationship were unknown.
Wilde was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for homosexuality in 1895.
In a letter the disgraced playwright mentioned a "little
dark-eyed chap", believed to be labourer Bushnell, who was jailed for
theft 21 times between 1892 and 1911, said Prof Stoneley.
Most inmates were not photographed but, as a repeat offender,
Bushnell was. There are seven mugshots of him in the archives of the
recently closed Reading Prison.
'Private relationships'
Speaking on the 160th anniversary of Wilde's birth, Prof
Stoneley said: "We don't know the full details of the relationship
between Wilde and Bushnell.
"However, Victorian prisoners were not officially even
allowed to speak to each other while in prison - much less eat or work
together, or form private relationships.
Oscar Wilde is said to have sent money to Bushnell after he was released from prison
"What we do know is that as well as mentioning him in his
letters, Wilde sent money to Bushnell after he was released from prison,
although further meetings are unlikely."
Records about the execution of Charles Wooldridge, the
soldier whose death is the subject of Wilde's work The Ballad of Reading
Gaol, were also found in the archives.
In records that detail the execution of Trooper Wooldridge, the prison doctor noted that he had a "rather long" neck.
The study revealed details of the Victorian prison system, which Wilde went on to campaign against.
The Oscar Wilde and Reading Gaol exhibition opens at the Berkshire Record Office on Monday.
