OOC; LONDON DRAFT
Victorian London was a labyrinth of twisting streets, crowded houses, gentlemen’s clubs, and the occasional brothel. New buildings shined through the over-inhabited slums, where the poorest of the poor lived in the worst conditions imaginable. Children-usually orphaned-roamed the streets, willing to work for hardly a scrap of bread. Despite their rough appearances, most were quite reliable when asked to watch a carriage or carry a letter. Churches were spread throughout the city, as religion was one of the most important parts of an English person’s life-or so they claimed. The amount of adultery, gambling, and other indulgence in vices seems to speak to the contrary.
Coal-burning stoves and lack of proper sanitation permeated the air with horrible-smelling fog, sometimes blurring out the sky and sunlight for days on end. While sewers did exist, raw sewage was dumped straight into the Thames River, and those who sifted through the rubbish in hopes of finding a bit of treasure were referred to as mudlarks or river men-they were often seen dragging drowned bodies from the depths to rob their corpses or any valuables not already claimed by the waters. The Thames was a popular place for unhappy men and women to commit suicide. Hospitals and soup kitchens were set up for the extremely poor, and schoolgirls were often assigned to help at these buildings by their headmistresses; these places were, however, poorly maintained and often abandoned after a few months.
The Rookery was generally a triangular area where people of all sorts lived; thieves, prostitutes, escaped criminals, etc. This place was favored by those kinds because the lodging houses accepted most everyone, and the fare was extremely cheap for a night’s stay. Other, safer squares were scattered throughout the city, planted with the tallest trees and splendid gardens where one could take a carriage ride along the cobblestone streets without fear. Women of means were fond of taking noonday walks around these parks, accompanied by their aristocratic husbands and children. Some of these squares hosted family cemeteries, where generations of relatives were buried together. The headstones in these graveyards were usually quite large, and carved in the likeliness of heavenly beings such as angels, and the occasional plain cross.
Gentlemen’s clubs were erected all over London, specifically because men and women were to lead separate lives; women were to stay home and take care of family affairs and the children, and men were to indulge themselves in politics and the wonders of the world. However, the consumer revolution of the 18th century did extend to Victorian times, and women were the main consumers of the age; thus, they often walked the London streets, taking entire days to go shopping for dresses, trinkets, and other such things. Daughters were often sent to finishing schools, if the family could afford it, and sons were usually accepted into universities, sometimes out of the country, to receive higher education and someday take their father’s place as the head of the family. The wealthy usually owned several homes, the ones located in London usually larger and more ornate than others. The size of one’s house was directly linked to how much money, social power, and political standing a family had.
Women at the time were expected to wear full skirts to hide their ankles, with tight bodices over corsets to pinch their waists and lift their bosoms to make them more appealing to the male eye and, therefore, more marriageable. Once they reached a certain age, girls were to wear their hair pinned up in a bun or another sort of up-do to show that they were proper and ladylike. High-necked dresses were customary for everyday wear, but a bit of a décolleté gown was acceptable for fancier occasions, such as balls and private teas. Gloves-usually wrist-length-were almost always worn, and hats adorned with flowers and feathers declared a girl’s social status and generally the size of her fortune.
Men’s fashion was much more lenient and practical, and lounge suits were customary. Top hats or bowler hats, and silver-topped canes were carried as a mark of social status and wealth. Waistcoats were generously embroidered, a novelty to the rich man’s attire. Longer coats of wool were standard, along with collared shirts and bowties. Bright colors were very in-fashion, thanks to the end of the “Great Masculine Renunciation,” a period when men refused to wear bright colors, and instead took to more neutral tones.
The docks were always crowded with ships, some of which had no crew because the men had abandoned their duties in favor of gambling houses built right on the river’s banks. Bathing was a rarity unless one was of higher class, and even then, soap and decently clean water were hard to come by. Public bathhouses were attended only by those in desperate need, as they were often under-kept and the sites of more scandalous goings-on. Some were reconstructed as opium dens or prostitution houses once they went out of business.
A railway ran straight through the heart of the city, connecting the London Bridge to Greenwich. Buckingham Palace was one of the largest buildings in the area, dwarfed only by Big Ben, the giant clock tower that could be seen from miles around. Horse-drawn carriages rolled along cobblestoned streets, and gas lamps lit the way as soon as darkness came. Electricity was just becoming popular in London near the end of the century, and there was much construction to switch from gas lamps to electric ones. The Crystal Palace adorned Hyde Park, the site of the 1849 World Exhibition Fair. An enormous structure of glass and iron, it was home to thirteen thousand exhibitors and over six million visitors from around the world during the Fair.
request more visuals here please c:
Coal-burning stoves and lack of proper sanitation permeated the air with horrible-smelling fog, sometimes blurring out the sky and sunlight for days on end. While sewers did exist, raw sewage was dumped straight into the Thames River, and those who sifted through the rubbish in hopes of finding a bit of treasure were referred to as mudlarks or river men-they were often seen dragging drowned bodies from the depths to rob their corpses or any valuables not already claimed by the waters. The Thames was a popular place for unhappy men and women to commit suicide. Hospitals and soup kitchens were set up for the extremely poor, and schoolgirls were often assigned to help at these buildings by their headmistresses; these places were, however, poorly maintained and often abandoned after a few months.
The Rookery was generally a triangular area where people of all sorts lived; thieves, prostitutes, escaped criminals, etc. This place was favored by those kinds because the lodging houses accepted most everyone, and the fare was extremely cheap for a night’s stay. Other, safer squares were scattered throughout the city, planted with the tallest trees and splendid gardens where one could take a carriage ride along the cobblestone streets without fear. Women of means were fond of taking noonday walks around these parks, accompanied by their aristocratic husbands and children. Some of these squares hosted family cemeteries, where generations of relatives were buried together. The headstones in these graveyards were usually quite large, and carved in the likeliness of heavenly beings such as angels, and the occasional plain cross.
Gentlemen’s clubs were erected all over London, specifically because men and women were to lead separate lives; women were to stay home and take care of family affairs and the children, and men were to indulge themselves in politics and the wonders of the world. However, the consumer revolution of the 18th century did extend to Victorian times, and women were the main consumers of the age; thus, they often walked the London streets, taking entire days to go shopping for dresses, trinkets, and other such things. Daughters were often sent to finishing schools, if the family could afford it, and sons were usually accepted into universities, sometimes out of the country, to receive higher education and someday take their father’s place as the head of the family. The wealthy usually owned several homes, the ones located in London usually larger and more ornate than others. The size of one’s house was directly linked to how much money, social power, and political standing a family had.
Women at the time were expected to wear full skirts to hide their ankles, with tight bodices over corsets to pinch their waists and lift their bosoms to make them more appealing to the male eye and, therefore, more marriageable. Once they reached a certain age, girls were to wear their hair pinned up in a bun or another sort of up-do to show that they were proper and ladylike. High-necked dresses were customary for everyday wear, but a bit of a décolleté gown was acceptable for fancier occasions, such as balls and private teas. Gloves-usually wrist-length-were almost always worn, and hats adorned with flowers and feathers declared a girl’s social status and generally the size of her fortune.
Men’s fashion was much more lenient and practical, and lounge suits were customary. Top hats or bowler hats, and silver-topped canes were carried as a mark of social status and wealth. Waistcoats were generously embroidered, a novelty to the rich man’s attire. Longer coats of wool were standard, along with collared shirts and bowties. Bright colors were very in-fashion, thanks to the end of the “Great Masculine Renunciation,” a period when men refused to wear bright colors, and instead took to more neutral tones.
The docks were always crowded with ships, some of which had no crew because the men had abandoned their duties in favor of gambling houses built right on the river’s banks. Bathing was a rarity unless one was of higher class, and even then, soap and decently clean water were hard to come by. Public bathhouses were attended only by those in desperate need, as they were often under-kept and the sites of more scandalous goings-on. Some were reconstructed as opium dens or prostitution houses once they went out of business.
A railway ran straight through the heart of the city, connecting the London Bridge to Greenwich. Buckingham Palace was one of the largest buildings in the area, dwarfed only by Big Ben, the giant clock tower that could be seen from miles around. Horse-drawn carriages rolled along cobblestoned streets, and gas lamps lit the way as soon as darkness came. Electricity was just becoming popular in London near the end of the century, and there was much construction to switch from gas lamps to electric ones. The Crystal Palace adorned Hyde Park, the site of the 1849 World Exhibition Fair. An enormous structure of glass and iron, it was home to thirteen thousand exhibitors and over six million visitors from around the world during the Fair.
request more visuals here please c: