A Scandal in Bohemia

In “A Scandal in Bohemia,” photographs symbolize both power and vulnerability. Adler’s power manifests through photography. A photograph taken of the hereditary King of Bohemia and of Adler posing as a romantic couple propels the narrative plot of “A Scandal in Bohemia.” The photograph of the King with Adler symbolizes the King’s vulnerability and Adler’s power. The photograph possesses the ability to not only potentially corrupt a potential marriage, but also the political future of Europe. The photograph serves as a physical reminder of what cost a potential scandal carries for the King. In the story’s time, identity and class were predicated on strict social norms. The King’s transgression of these norms is memorialized in the photograph taken with Adler. Ironically, just as the photograph makes the King vulnerable to social scrutiny, Adler keeps the incendiary photograph to protect herself from being vulnerable to the King.

The story also contains a second photograph, which Adler leaves for Holmes. Adler regards Holmes as a “formidable […] antagonist” (74) and praises his ability to dupe her. This second photo, taken just of herself, serves as Holmes’s compensation for closing the case. Refusing monetary payment, Holmes is satisfied merely with the photograph of Adler.