20 B Upper Baker Street is the home of the Lorimer sisters and the location of the Photography studio. In one of the first mentions of Upper Baker Street, we see the theme of transportation, as they a carriage to get there. Later on, their shop on Upper Baker Street attracts some attention. “People who had theories about woman’s work; people whose friends had theories; people who were curious and fond of novelty; individuals from each of these sections began to find their way to Upper Baker Street”. Here, it seems as if Upper Baker Street was not a very high traffic area unless one either lived there or had a shop there. With this quote, it seems that Upper Baker Street has become a symbol of the Lorimer sisters’ status as “New Women”.

When I searched Upper Baker Street on the Old Bailey, there were only 34 records of crimes committed there, a startlingly low number. Majority of the crimes fell under the Theft category, and within that category most of the crimes were mail theft and burglary. There were also many fraud and coining offenses crimes, and one murder. This shows that it was a relatively safe area, but the people were still poor enough to risk being caught with forged money.

When the sisters go to inspect their new home, the surrounding area is described as being “that pleasant, if unfashionable, region”. Upper Baker Street is right by Regent’s Park, and the people who live in the area are from a variety of social classes. Right along Upper Baker Street are mostly middle class families, but the street right over has poor families.

The fact that there are mostly middle class families living on that street makes sense. When the Lorimers are looking at the area, they mention that there are other businesses nearby. I assume that those families are working families who have successful businesses, and that the other families who are mixed are the true working families. The mix of social classes in this area represents the changes the Lorimers would go through. After the death of their father and at the very beginning of their business, they were considered poor. However, by the end of the book their social statuses had changed considerably. Lucy remains in the Middle Class, maybe even into the fairly comfortable range. Gertrude marries Lord Watergate, and a man with such a title no doubt belongs to at least the upper middle class, if not the upper class. Fanny most likely also belongs in the middle class. Although there isn’t a lot of variety in the classes of the sisters, their families each have different earnings, such as the families on Upper Baker Street.

Works Cited

Levy, Amy. The Romance of a Shop. Peterborough, Ont.: Broadview, 2006. Print.

“The Proceedings of the Old Bailey.” Results. The Proceedings of Old Baily. Web. 16 Dec. 2015.