A disturbing new cache of images linked to Jeffrey Epstein has reignited outrage, with several photographs zeroing in on one unsettling theme, the fetishisation of Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita, scrawled across a woman’s body.
The pictures were released on December 18 by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee and form part of a vast archive of roughly 95,000 images obtained from Epstein’s estate.
Lolita is widely regarded as one of the most controversial novels of the 20th century. Written from the perspective of an unreliable narrator, it tells the story of a man who becomes sexually fixated on Dolores, a 12-year-old girl.
They have been drip-fed to the public and lawmakers, intensifying calls for the remaining Epstein files to be made public ahead of a December 19 deadline.
Among the most troubling photographs are close-up shots of a woman’s chest, foot, and neck, each marked with handwritten passages lifted directly from Lolita, the controversial 1955 novel that centres on a middle-aged man’s sexual obsession with a young girl.
In one image, text is written across a woman’s chest reading: ‘Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth.’
Another photograph focuses on a woman’s foot, bearing the line: ‘She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock.’
Further images show additional passages traced onto a woman’s body. One reads: ‘She was Lola in slacks’.
Another shows: ‘She was Dolly at school’ written on a woman’s neck, while a separate image captures the line ‘She was Dolores on the dotted line’ running down a woman’s spine.
The pictures were made public on December 18 by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee
In one photograph, the words: ‘She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock’ is scribbled on a mysterious person’s foot
Another shows text that reads: ‘Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth’ on a person’s chest
A copy of Nabokov’s Lolita is also visible in the background of one of the photographs, reinforcing the deliberate nature of the references.
While often defended by literary scholars as a critique of obsession and manipulation, the book has long been criticised for how it has been misused and misunderstood, particularly by those who fixate on its subject matter rather than its intent.
The novel was later adapted into films, most notably Stanley Kubrick’s 1962 version and a 1997 remake, both of which sparked fierce debate for attempting to visualise a story rooted in child sexual abuse.
Over time, the name ‘Lolita’ has entered popular culture as a shorthand for sexualised youth, a distortion that Nabakov’s wife, Vera, has strongly rejected, saying she was a defenceless victim.
Disturbingly, the term has also been used in the marketing of pornographic films depicting the vile representation of young girls.
Additionally, sick paedophiles have used it to characterise the sexual abuse of underage girls.
Against that backdrop, the decision to inscribe Lolita quotations onto a woman’s body in Epstein-linked photographs has been described as especially chilling.
Beyond the Lolita images, the latest batch of photographs also features a number of powerful and well-known figures.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates appears in one image posing with a woman whose face has been blurred.
Linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky is pictured aboard a private jet alongside Epstein. The financier’s private jet was known as the Lolita Express – it has not been revealed whether it was the same aircraft on which the men were photographed.
Several images referencing Lolita were found in the Epstein cashe
A 1997 remake of the film, Lolita , starring Jeremy Irons and Dominique Swain caused controversy
In the newly released pictures, Microsoft founder Bill Gates appears alongside a female whose face has been blurred
Gates has previously acknowledged his association with Epstein, admitting it was a ‘huge mistake’.
Other images show Steve Bannon, a former adviser to Donald Trump, seated at a desk opposite Epstein. Author and New York Times opinion columnist David Brooks appears in multiple photographs.
The release also includes images of passports and identification documents, with personal details redacted.
They appear to belong to women from several countries, including Lithuania, Russia, the Czech Republic and Ukraine. Epstein’s US passport is also pictured.
One screenshot shows a text exchange from an unidentified sender discussing an 18-year-old from Russia.
The messages read: ‘I have a friend scout she sent me some girls today’, followed by ‘But she asks 1000$ per girl’. Subsequent texts say: ‘I will send u girls now’, and ‘Maybe someone will be good for J?’.
Another photograph depicts Epstein seated at a desk with three females whose faces have been obscured. One hand is visible on his chest beneath his shirt, while another person crouches beside a laptop.
A third appears to be receiving help from Epstein as he fastens a bracelet around her wrist.
Also included in the release is an inmate request form from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, dated December 25, 2008.
The name and date of birth are blacked out, but handwritten notes on the form reference Paris, Dubai, and include the words ‘I love you’.
In recent weeks, several photographs have been released by US officials, including one of former president Bill Clinton and Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell aboard the Lolita Express.
Another image includes Epstein seated at a desk with three females whose faces have been blacked out
Noam Chomsky is pictured on a private jet with Epstein in the newly released files
One of the pictures show messages from an unidentified sender saying: ‘I have a friend scout she sent me some girls today’, followed by ‘But she asks 1000$ per girl’.
Photos released have shown former US president, Bill Clintoin and Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell aboard the late financier’s jet
The newly released images have added to mounting pressure on the Trump administration to disclose the remaining Epstein-related material held by the government.
In recent months, details have emerged of the friendship between the two men. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
For years, Epstein cultivated relationships with politicians, royalty, billionaires and academics, presenting himself as a well-connected money manager and philanthropist.
That carefully constructed image unravelled in the mid 2000s.
Epstein’s crimes centred on the sexual exploitation and abuse of underage girls. Prosecutors said he recruited teenagers, some as young as 14, under the guise of offering money for massages.
Many of the girls later said the encounters escalated into sexual abuse and that Epstein used his wealth, intimidation and network to silence them.
In 2008, Epstein struck a highly controversial plea deal in Florida. He pleaded guilty to state charges of soliciting prostitution and procuring a minor for prostitution, serving just 13 months in jail.
The case resurfaced in 2018 and 2019 following investigative reporting and renewed scrutiny of how Epstein had avoided federal prosecution.
Epstein was known for his connections to some of the most powerful men in the world
In July 2019, he was arrested by federal authorities and charged with sex trafficking and conspiracy to traffic minors.
Prosecutors alleged that his abuse spanned years and involved dozens of victims across multiple locations.
Epstein pleaded not guilty and was held at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in Manhattan while awaiting trial.
On August 10, 2019, Epstein was found unresponsive in his jail cell. He was pronounced dead at the age of 66. The official ruling was suicide.
