Prostitution In 19th Century London

Jack the ripper the notorious and legendary London murderer started his reign of terror in the August of 1888. Jack the ripper is a fairly difficult character to find proper information on (regrettably noted) however his murders are not. It is speculated that he killed more than five people but the Canonical five are a definite. All of them where prostitutes from the Whitechapel area of London; a poor and deteriorating side of town. The first of these murders was Mary Nichols she was murdered on August 31st 1888 (www.jack the ripper.org). The murders that happened after followed in this order. Annie Chapman was the second of the five main victims she was murdered on September 8th 1888(www.jack the ripper.org). The third and fourth victims shared the same day of death with a peculiar twist. Jack the Ripper was known to deface and mutilate all the bodies in which he slayed, Elizabeth Stride the third victim was wholly intact(www.bbc.co.uk/history). Both Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes died on the same day September 30th 1888(www.jack the ripper.org). The final victim to be famously associated with the case of Jack the Ripper was Mary Kelly who was killed on November 9th 1888. All of the victims were more than likely unaware of their fates beforehand, he typically knocked them out before he would kill and maim them. Jack the Ripper's scenes in which he left the corpses were calculated, he was informed and educated on how it is he done what he did. It was believed at the time that he was potentially a doctor or a butcher due to the tools needed to do what was done to the bodies. In addition to this the cuts left on the body showed that the killer had knowledge of the human anatomy and the way it worked. He usually always started the

The Whitechapel Murders and those of Jack the Ripper are not generally one and the same. Over a period of three years towards the end of the nineteenth century a number of prostitutes were murdered under different circumstances – the murder of prostitutes was not an especially unique occurrence during those times but several of the murders drew particular attention on account of the savagery with which the victim's bodies were mutilated. Within the Whitechapel Murders was a cluster of murders that demonstrated sufficient similarities as to suggest that they were committed by the same person. One of the first instances of serial murder was thus identified and sensationalised in the media as the work of ‘Jack the Ripper', nicknamed on the

This killing was much more violent than the other that had happened that day. Her face had been mutilated and the killer had run off with her left kidney and her uterus. The fifth victim of these five that were heavily speculated to be The Ripper was Mary Kelly. She was murdered on November 9th, 1888. The Ripper had skinned her almost to the bone and left her in Miller’s

The predicaments leading up to a person choosing prostitution as a method to support oneself financially must be difficult, however many women residing in the East End of London succumbed to such a lifestyle. Sadly, all five canonical victims of the notorious ‘Ripper’ had come to live out their lives in a manner most of us would find unfathomable. In James Tully book, Prisoner 1167: The Madman who was Jack the Ripper, explains the how the East End of London was a place where prostitution was prevalent:

Like all good horror stories, the legend of Jack the Ripper is founded in some aspects of truth. In 1888, five female prostitutes were murdered over a span of four months in Whitechapel, a poverty-stricken and crime-ridden district on the East End of London. These women are generally known as the “canonical five victims,” but there are many disputes on how many victims there actually were. According to one Jack the Ripper website, the Whitechapel Murders file lists as many as eleven victims, but not all of these were the murderer’s true victims (Jones). Another certain truth is that the majority of the women

The Victorian period was known for peaceful times, prosperity, and national self-confidence. England was undergoing a time of economic crisis within its social classes. The lower class made less comparatively to the upper class. Women in lower classes during this time were desperate to make a living by creating any opportunities that were available, even if it meant prostitution. Prostitution was said to be a job with better pay, better hours, and easier work. Victorian Prostitution was a commonly despised in the eyes of society because of the health standards, the government’s and society’s notion on prostitution.

The list of the Ripper’s victimology is rather interesting. It consisted of women on London’s lowest level of hierarchy with their deaths only affecting friends and family (Begg, Paul, Evans 1). A multitude of the victims were in ill condition, e.g from sexually transmitted diseases or an unhealthy addiction to alcohol. They roamed the night looking for buying customers, unaware of their untimely fate with a serial killer (Rubinstein 1). The East End was overcrowded with waste littering the roads and the only way to earn a decent wage through illegal means (Johnson 1). However, poverty was glaringly different between the genders. Usually, employed women worked in factories for a few years, allowing them to save a small reserve of pounds

In the autumn of 1888, the murders took place in the “East End” of inner London, mostly in ‘White Chapel’. Living conditions of the people were very poor. The place was busy, crowded and full of crime. People were homeless and unemployed. People were struggling to survive

England has always been known for their elevated culture and afternoons fit for tea, but in the small town of Whitechapel, London around 1888 this was not the case. Poverty played a big role during this time period and mothers of small families had to prostitutes themselves in order to provide meals for their families. Between August and November of 1888, a notorious murderer rose to the surface, slaughtering at least five women escorts. The legend of Jack the Ripper is one of the most famous, yet unsolved mysteries of English crime.

Jack the Ripper’s first victim was Miss Marry Ann Nichols, once the police found her body they were in disbelief because this was the first murder of its kind in London. The second victim was Miss Annie Chapman, she was found dead on September 8th 1888 after the corner investigated they discovered that Jack the Ripper had removed her Uterus. The third and fourth victims Miss Elizabeth Stride and Miss Catherine Eddowes were both killed on the same day on September 30th 1888. The last confirmed victim was Miss Mary Jane Kelley her mutilated body was found on November 9th 1888. Miss Kelley’s body was mutilated the worst out of any of the prostitutes; what is so crazy about his final fill was that most of her organs were removed including her heart.

A horrid Jack the Ripper murdered and disembodied multitudinous prostitutes from August 07, 1888 through February 13, 1891. There are many alleged miscreants who might fit the title of Jack the Ripper. Of those, the alleged culprit was either an insane Aaron Kosminski from Poland or Francis Craig from Tennessee. It is believed that Kosminski was the psychopath committing these unwholesome murders due hard evidence proving he was in contact with all of five of the victims. The 128 year mystery is now finally uncovered.

Jack the Ripper's identity is still unknown after all these years but many people believe he is a butcher or doctor based on the tools he used and his knowledge of the human anatomy. There have been over one hundred suspects but no one has been charged for the crime, there have been many conspiracy theories about who the killer is and what his job was but the police have not confirmed any of it. Some of the people suspected of the crime are Aaron Kosminski a jewish polish emigrant, Thomas Cutbush a disturbed and violent man who was wandering the areas streets while the murders took place, and John Druitt an assistant schoolmaster (http://www.jack-the-ripper.org). Another theory is that Prince Albert Victor the grandson of Queen of Victoria is the killer, famous Victorian Jack the Ripper was a mass murderer who terrorized the east end of london between august and november of 1888. The identity of the killer is still unknown, the killer killed five women who were all prostitutes except for one, Elizabeth Stride (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/ripper_jack_the.shtml) . There were many attacks against women during that time but those five stuck out because of the way the bodies were mutilated, the murders were marked by sadistic butchery (https://www.biography.com/people/jack-the-ripper-9351486). Jack the Ripper is one of history’s most mysterious murderers of all time, his murders are some of the greatest unsolved crimes. Many people create fake stories about the

A series of brutal murders shocked the masses of 1888, victorian London, committed by the mysterious serial killer known only as “Jack the Ripper”(Keppel, 1). Jack the Ripper would haunt London for decades to come (Keppel, 1). Even to this day, the killer’s identity has never been discovered (Keppel, 1). First, we will see what Whitechapel, London was like before Jack the Ripper made his mark, then the Canonical Five, the Whitechapel Murders, the suspects, and finally Jack’s suspicious public relations (Keppel 1).

Flanders first begins by discussing the sheer numbers involved in what is known of prostitution in 19th century London. That being said, what is recorded is not what one would refer to as an accurate depiction of how commonplace prostitution was. Flanders takes a moment in the article to highlight a primary source, that being in this particular instance a statement made by a police magistrate that claimed “there were 50,000 prostitutes in London” (Flanders). She then explains that this number is likely inaccurate as prostitution carried a broader meaning during that time period than it does today. Specifically, in

Since Jack, The Ripper was an unidentified serial killer we’re unaware of whether he was employed or not if he had friends, habits or even a social status, however, we know his criminal history. Jack The Ripper created a horrifying crime scene where he individually killed five different women, all the women were prostitutes except for Elizabeth Stride who was killed September 30th, 1888, however, all of them were killed the same way, being horribly mutilated. Parts of their body were disposed of, for Mary Ann Nichols, the throat was severed by two cuts. The abdomen was slashed entirely open, and it was later discovered that the uterus had been removed. Stride and Eddowes were killed in the early morning of Sunday 30 September 1888 and there were absences of mutilations to the abdomen. Eddowes' body was found in Mitre Square in the City of London, three-quarters of an hour after Stride's. Kelly's mutilated and the disemboweled body was discovered lying on the bed in the single room where she lived at 13 Miller's Court, off Dorset Street, Spitalfields, at 10:45 a.m. on Friday 9 November 1888.