Forty Elephants

Forty Elephants

These women were no myth, they were the real Forty Elephants, an all-female gang from Elephant and Castle, active from the 1870s to the 1950s. For decades, they stormed London’s West End stores and even posed as maids, stuffing stolen diamonds, furs and gowns into secret pockets sewn into their clothes.

Here, Duval paints them lingering behind a table full of glittering gems, symbols of stolen wealth that vanish as quickly as they’re grabbed. The line between power and illusion blurs: the shine is real, but satisfaction slips through their fingers.