Spring 2015 Blog

Category for all blog posts for Spring 2015

Extra Credit: Victorian London Dictionary – “Ladies Shopping”

~ Annie Swafford

 

While browsing through the Victorian London Dictionary trying to look for an article that would intrigue and catch my interest, I finally found the one!  SHOPPING – Something that I know how to do best….

shopping

While perusing through the article called “Ladies Shopping” I came across a quite accurate definition of shopping, if I do say so myself.  As defined by The London Victorian Dictionary, “Shopping is the amusement of spending money at shops.”  Women love shopping as much as men love to play sports.  Unlike shopping, sport involves the payment of one’s own shot, however shopping may be maintained by getting it paid for.

During Victorian London, the best places for shopping were fashionable streets and bazaars.  Street-shopping essentially is directed toward hosiery, drapery, and jewelry of the richer sort.  Bazaar and Arcade-shopping, to fancy articles, nick nacks, and perfumery.  I learned that women had to act differently depending on the type of shopping they are doing.  “In street-shopping walk leisurely along, keeping a sharp look-out on the windows.  In bazaar-shopping, beat each stall separately.”  They also advised women to finish street-shopping before she takes on the bazaars and arcades because the last two refer to mostly articles of no manner of use.

I chose this article because I really enjoy going shopping and I found it fascinating how the diversion and entertainment of shopping has evolved over the years.

victorian london-shoppingkeepcalmandgoshopping

Adrian Jurek Extra Credit: Victorian London – Police and Policing

~ Annie Swafford

Searching through the different terms on the Dictionary of Victorian London i came across a post about “Victorian Era Police”. This really interested me because i never really researched Victorian era law enforcement and the images that keep popping into mind are those from the Sherlock Holmes movie that came out in 2009. This article can be found under: Police; City of London Police; -duties and organization.

Since the City of London was the wealthiest business center of the world, they had their own police force that only watched the city in both day and night. The goal of the policemen was to get a high number of convictions using any means necessary. There was no checks of what the police was doing. The press, unlike today, didn’t accuse officers of corruption , or any malpractice.

One thing that interested me that, in addition to arresting criminals, officers helped out civilians by escorting old ladies to their homes , looking out for future crimes, etc. In addition to this there was a Nightwatch established which patrolled the streets from 10 P.M. to check stores, and prevent any thievery. As quoted from the author,  ALEX. INNES SHAND. , “the City police has arrived at pretty nearly the perfection of efficiency” . This is an example that you don’t need to have superior technology to be highly efficient in what you are doing. According to the chart that is found midway through the article there was 800 total officers working in London in the public sector and 99 policeman in the private sector, both a fairly large amount of officers.

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Victorian London…Or unsubstantiated science with a side of child prostitution

~ Annie Swafford

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Lee Jackson’s Victorian London Dictionary  sent me off on quite an interesting tangent. First, I investigated the science/technology heading and recalled the pseudoscientific Victorian pursuit called phrenology, which I found there. Aside from jostling my memory regarding the specifics of phrenology, the abundance of information online, both dismissing and supportive, was quite surprising. Of course, racism and European superiority were the prevailing views of the time, which allowed phrenology to flourish in Victorian London.

Here is a short video detailing the basics of phrenology for anyone who is not acquainted.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80dZ71Km6_g]

More simply, here is a drawing designed to help the unmarried ladies in the house…

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After checking out the science area of Jackson’s Dictionary, I made my way to the sex heading, clicking on children as victims. I had a bad feeling about what I would discover, and my intuition was correct.

In an anonymous letter to a newspaper, a man recalled “a child of tender years”, who was addressed “by an old man dressed in the garb of a gentleman.” The young girl was likely a prostitute, and the author of the letter found a policeman, but he was no help. “The man behaved with exceeding propriety, and appeared to be quite alive to the grossness of the affair, but he (the policeman) said he had no right to interfere.” There were no laws protecting children such as the one detailed in the letter, and economic difficulty led to this being a regular occurrence on the streets of London.

The bustling city of London during this period was full of peril, as another entry under the “children as victims” heading detailed an 11 year-old girl chased by a man of about 50. “He overtakes her, stops her way, takes hold of her dress, and endeavors to force her into some den of infamy.”

While some people may think that the attitudes reflected by Victorian London are gone and forgotten, it was not until 2000 that children caught up in prostitution were thought of as victims in England. I found a terrific article from the Guardian which elucidates the plight of this rarely thought of segment of the population.

Finally, Archer stopped by to remind all of the Bob’s Burgers fans that spies are way cooler than cooks.

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Victorian London: Extra Credit Blog Assignment/ Hannah Phillips

~ Annie Swafford

newscotlandyardPhoto is from http://www.storiesnow.com/newscotlandyard, which includes a brief section on The Scotland Yard in the 1890’s.

Through this assignment, I learned about some Victorian slang and expressions. It was interesting to glance at how similar some of the words are to modern vocabulary, and likewise interesting to see the weirder stuff. From the Victorian Dictionary, I went to the “Words and Expressions” area, then to the “criminal slang” section.

The webpage arranged some words with their definitions in a laundry list format (from appendixes or dictionaries), but also included some dialogue with footnotes. I liked seeing the dialogue from the “George Reynolds, The Mysteries of London” section. I felt that reading the people’s interactions expressed tone, characterization, and helped me picture the verbal exchange. I have copied and pasted an example from the site:

    ‘So far so good,’ said Dick Flairer. ‘I’ve got a darkey 1 but we want the kifers 2 and tools.’
‘And a sack,’ added Bill.
‘We must get all these things of old Moses Hart, the fence 3 and give him a share of the swag,’ exclaimed the Cracksman.
‘Well, now that’s settled,’ said Dick. ‘I’ve got a bob in my pocket, and we’ll have a rinse of the bingo.’

1. Dark lantern 2. Implements used by burglars 3. Receiver of stolen goods. 

So, thanks to this transcript, we are placed directly in the action. We can observe Dick Flairer, Bill, and the Cracksman’s conversation exactly as it was recorded. With the added footnotes that explain what something like a “darkey” is, it is further apparent that the characters are burglars who are getting ready to go out and steal some stuff. It was funny to me that the word “swag” was around back in the Victorian time, and it became especially more humorous to picture the thieves using it.

Night Houses- “The Cave of Harmony”

~ Annie Swafford

Searching through Lee Jackson’s “The Victorian Dictionary” I came across the Category of “Night Houses” where “The Cave of Harmony” caught my attention. To my understanding, the “Cave of Harmony” was what would presently be known as a night club. Back then, a certain time comes about when the streets of London have long been deserted, the shops and theaters are dark and quite and only a lone police man strolls the empty streets. Yet as you walk down a certain road to a particular alley you begin to decipher the distinct, overwhelming smell of spilt grog and tobacco smoke. As you venture closer to the cacophony and chaos of clanking glasses and piano notes you notice a door held open by a well fashioned waiter. You enter and are quickly engulfed and teary eyed- wallowing through thick waves of smoke and sound. The room is filled with 1200 merchants, lawyers, medical students and army officers- generally a whole array of distinguished men. The atmosphere is joyous as singers atop a stage perform along side a piano and different acts of musical talent are performed. Although seemingly enticing, Jackson has his own opinions on such a night life.

Jackson seems passionately averse to this “Cave of Harmony”. It seemed that Jackson thought that the people attending a “Night House” like this would eventually grow accustom and maybe even dependent on such a lavish life style and once out of money would turn to fraud and crime to obtain such a life style again.

” I know better than you; the man I write of, after having been the attraction of the Cave of Harmony for years, after having been feasted by the nobility and gentry, after having led a career of pleasure on the most extravagant scale, will go down yet young as a beggar to one of our sea-port towns, and, after craving in vain a refuge from the winter’s cold and a crust of bread, will die in the workhouse, and be buried in a pauper’s grave.”

Another website claimed the “Cave of Harmony” to be a “cellar for shameful song-singing” (Cite). It was hard to find much information past that. In general, the Cave of Harmony did not seem very harmonious at all. Perhaps a place I would personally enjoy now and then but also a vacuum that succumbed numerous men of great stature, valor and wealth into a life style of greed and self loathing disparity.

the cave of harmony by william makepeace thackeray
the cave of harmony by william makepeace thackeray

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Emily DeFranco_Tuesday Jan 27th Assignment (extra credit)

~ Annie Swafford

From Lee Jackson’s “The Victorian Dictionary:”

Entry: For my entry first I went to the “Publications” tab and then chose “Journals, Magazines and Newspapers” (to make my research more interesting and relevant to my major) and finally selected ‘The Times.’ There were many articles about The Times but I read the first one (Peter Cunningham, Hand-Book of London, 1850).

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What I learned: What I found interesting right away in this article was how the first daily paper in London actually began with one man, John Bill, who, “at the King’s Printing House in Black Friars, printed the proclamations of the reign of Charles II. [The] first London Gazette, [was] established in that reign.” In 1770 the location of the publication moved to its current location where it transformed into the daily it is today in 1788. “The Times of Tuesday, Nov. 29th, 1814, was the first work ever printed by a mechanical apparatus, and the first newspaper printed by steam.” The article also breaks down the starting and current advertising rates, though I didn’t completely understand some of the symbols used. It was cool to see how the paper evolved from its very beginning to a paper that it distributed worldwide.

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Maps!

~ Annie Swafford ~ 1 Comment

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Hello fellow classmates, I’m Brian. I’m a junior/senior (its close), and I love maps, my atlas and globe, as well as just about anything else that conveys geographical information. I look forward to combining my appreciation for maps with Holmes and Watson’s criminal cases throughout Victorian London. I also hope to incorporate my love of music into the digital humanities course in some way. Overall, I am intrigued by this interesting course, and I look forward to all that we will cover.

Hello !

~ Annie Swafford ~ 3 Comments

Hi my name is Ashley Rivera and I am a Sophomore, majoring in Elementary Education with a concentration in History and a minor in Deaf Studies. I am a Student-Athlete, I am a goalkeeper for the Woman’s Soccer Team. Lets Go Hawks!!!

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Most recently the soccer team traveled to England not only to play 2 pro English teams but to watch a Pro Match, Explore London and Bond as a Team.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN9EC3Gy6Nk

An Unexpected Journey

~ Annie Swafford ~ 1 Comment

Here I am- Caleb Smith-  beginning my intrepid adventures into the wild and magnificent world of Digital Humanities. As a freshman at SUNY New Paltz, many of these tasks seem quite daunting and even confusing. Yet it is evident that through it all- as it always does- knowledge shall prevail. Luckily I have this relaxing song to peacefully put me to rest every night (LINK>>>  Beautiful Relaxation). And if that’s not enough pretend to be cuddling with this bucket of joy 😀 <3 30-cute-puppies-you-will-want-to-take-home-with-you-28

Intro Post

~ Annie Swafford ~ 5 Comments

Hello all! I’m Emily DeFranco and I am a senior journalism major at SUNY New Paltz. I love my friends, family and animals. My interests include writing, photography, volleyball, etc. My dream job would be to write for the New York Times. serious-dog-in-glasses-reading-the-newspaper-funny-animal-pet-images-bajiroo-photos-pictures