Is the photo of League Against Cruel Sports founder Ernest Bell?

Claim: A photograph featured in the Spring 2024 edition of Protect, the League Against Cruel Sports magazine, depicts Ernest Bell, founder of the organisation.

Verdict: False.

Context

As part of its centenary celebrations, the League Against Cruel Sports published several materials highlighting its history. These included the Spring 2024 edition of its magazine Protect and a commemorative booklet titled 100 Years of the League.

In Protect, an article titled 100 Years of Compassion and Campaigning for Animals features a photograph, on page 9, identified as “Ernest Bell, founder of the League Against Cruel Sports.” The same photograph also appears in the 100 Years of the League booklet, though without attribution.

However, multiple lines of evidence and analysis confirm that the individual in the photograph is not Ernest Bell.

Analysis

1. Historical Evidence Contradicts the Claim

Photographs of Ernest Bell, an influential Victorian humanitarian and advocate for animal rights, are well-documented in historical archives. These images show him as:

• A man with a full beard and moustache, a distinctive feature throughout his life.
• Wearing late-Victorian or Edwardian attire, typical of his era.

The individual in the Protect photograph does not match Bell’s known appearance:

• Facial Structure: The shape of the chin, nose, and eyes of the individual in the photograph are entirely different from Bell’s documented features.
• Facial Hair: Bell is consistently depicted with a prominent beard, whereas the individual in the photograph is clean-shaven.
• Clothing Style: The attire in the photograph is inconsistent with Bell’s documented period and style.

2. Reappearance in the 100 Years of the League Booklet

The same photograph appears in the League’s commemorative booklet 100 Years of the League, though it is not attributed to Ernest Bell in this context. This inclusion, without proper identification, raises questions about the verification process behind the League’s centenary materials.

3. Expert Analysis

Historians specialising in animal rights and the anti-hunt movement have thoroughly reviewed the photograph and confirm it does not depict Ernest Bell. These experts, familiar with Bell’s legacy and historical imagery, have noted that the individual in the photograph bears no resemblance to Bell.

4. AI Analysis of the Photograph

Advanced facial recognition and comparison tools were employed to analyse the Protect photograph against verified historical images of Bell. Multiple AI systems consistently returned a 0% match, confirming no resemblance between the two individuals.

5. Potential Reasons for Misattribution

• Archival Errors: The League may have sourced the photograph from archives or secondary materials without verifying its authenticity.
• Historical Oversight: The League Against Cruel Sports has demonstrated a lack of commitment to valuing and preserving its historical records. While it has been suggested that some archives may have been lost during organisational moves, this is unconfirmed. Regardless, the apparent absence of comprehensive internal records reflects a broader disinterest in maintaining and verifying its historical legacy.
• Lack of Effort: The League appears to have devoted little effort to verifying its historical claims. Basic historical resources and documentation that would easily have clarified such errors are readily accessible.

Conclusion

The photograph featured in Protect magazine and the 100 Years of the League booklet is conclusively not of Ernest Bell. Historical records, expert evaluations, and AI analyses all confirm that the individual in the image does not resemble the League’s co-founder.

Verdict

False. The photograph is not of Ernest Bell, founder of the League Against Cruel Sports.

Sources

• Verified photographs of Ernest Bell from historical archives.
• Analysis by AI facial comparison tools (tools unnamed for neutrality and privacy purposes).
• Reviews and evaluations by historians of animal rights and the anti-hunt movement.

This fact check underscores the need for rigorous verification in historical commemorations, particularly during significant milestones such as a centenary celebration.