The Epstein Files: A Scandal in Photos

The people and places that define the scandal

Written by

Tracy Grant

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 25, 2026 •History

The story of Jeffrey Epstein has proven to be one of the more disturbing and enduring scandals of the early 21st century. The notorious Epstein files include literally millions of pages of documents, among them emails, photographs, and videos. The scandal has ensnared heads of state, royalty, and business leaders. And none of that speaks to the more than 1,000 young women and girls who count themselves as victims of Epstein and his coconspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.

Words, however, fail to capture the scandal’s shocking essence: the British prince with his arm casually draped around the waist of a girl little older than his daughter, a massage table and taxidermy animals as decor elements, a dentist chair as part of an island paradise.

What follows is a visual telling of the Epstein scandal: the household names he interacted with, the lifestyle he led at opulent properties on two continents, the islands that chillingly came to be known as “Little St. Jeff’s” and “Pedophile Island.”