Doris Payne (1930-present) is an international jewel thief and a master of deception and disguise. Notably, in the 1970s she stole a 10-carat diamond ring valued at $500,000. For those of you tuning in for the first time, welcome! Here’s the deal: Every weekday, we highlight the stories of iconic women in history you may not know about, but definitely should. We’re talking about women from around the world and throughout history. Each month is themed. This month we’re talking about troublemakers–from women who made “good trouble” to women who thrived in illicit industries to villains in the truest sense of the word.
This month, we're talking about troublemakers–from women who made “good trouble” to women who thrived in illicit industries to villains in the truest sense of the word.
History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Encyclopedia Womannica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know -- but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Encyclopedia Womannica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Encyclopedia Womannica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Sundus Hassan, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, and Ale Tejada. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan and this is Womanica.
This month, we’re talking about Troublemakers. We’re covering stories from across the spectrum, from women who made “good trouble” to women who thrived in illicit industries to villains in the truest sense of the word. All of the women we’re covering had a major impact on the societies in which they lived.
Women, just like men, have played good and bad roles in human history. To gloss over women who we may find less than inspiring is to accept a diminished and inaccurate place in the historical record.
Today, we’re talking about a woman who was an international jewel thief. A master of deception and disguise, she had over 30 aliases and at least nine different passports, but only one real name.
Let’s talk about Doris Payne.
Doris was born in 1930 in West Virginia, to a Black father and a Cherokee mother. Growing up, Doris watched her father regularly abuse her mother. The experience made Doris resolve to never be dependent on a man. She wanted to find a way to make her own money, and take care of herself and her mother.
But she wasn’t sure how she would make the money. Then one day, she went shopping for a watch. While Doris was trying on watches, a white customer walked in, and the store owner told Doris to leave. He didn’t want to be seen with a Black customer. On her way out, Doris realized she was still wearing one of the watches she had tried on. She kept walking. That’s when she learned how easy theft could be.
But Doris didn’t act on this knowledge until much later, in 1952. After her father’s abuse of her mother escalated, Doris took a bus to Pittsburgh, walked into a jewelry store, and walked out with a diamond ring worth 22 thousand dollars. She resold it, and used the money to help her mother escape her father’s abuse.
It was her first big heist - but not even close to her last.
Throughout the 1950s, Doris travelled across America, stealing expensive jewelry. She had a honed method. First, she would glide in with confidence and charm, wearing elegant clothes and toting a designer bag. Then, Doris would ask the store clerk to show her a wide variety of pieces. She would start putting on and taking off jewelry with the speed and dexterity of a close-up magician. Sometimes a piece would mysteriously go missing, and Doris would help the jeweler find it. Finally, after gaining their trust, she would find a way to distract the clerk, hide the piece that she really wanted on her person, and walk out of the store undetected.
This was before surveillance cameras or Internet record keeping - so Doris got away with the vast majority of her crimes. She was sometimes arrested, but her lawyers always got her out of serving jail time.
But the more Doris stole, the more infamous she became. Photos of her started appearing in newspapers. It was getting harder for her to steal in America, so she moved her operations to Europe.
In 1974, Doris pulled off one of her most famous heists. She entered a Cartier store in Monte Carlo and walked out with a diamond ring worth half a million dollars. When she arrived at the airport, the police apprehended her, and conducted a full body search - but they couldn’t find the ring. They held her in custody for months, but with no physical evidence, they eventually had to let her go. Doris had outsmarted them - she had sown the ring into her pantyhose, where it escaped detection by the police the entire time she was in custody.
Finally, in 1999 - over forty years after she started stealing jewels - Doris’ crimes caught up to her. She was arrested for stealing a fifty seven thousand dollar ring in Denver, and spent five years in jail.
But Doris’ jail time didn’t deter her. In 2011, she was convicted for stealing a nine thousand dollar ring in San Diego. In 2015, she was arrested for stealing Christian Dior earrings in Atlanta. And in 2017, she was caught stealing 86 dollars worth of groceries and electronics at Walmart.
Over the course of her lifetime, Doris has stolen at least two million dollars worth of merchandise. But Doris has said that she rarely feels guilty about her crimes - she sees it as payback for the racism that she experienced in stores as a child. According to Doris, the only regret she has about being a jewel thief is getting caught.
All month, we’re talking about troublemakers and villains.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!