Life in the Late 19th Century

19th Century London was grey and drab, and very grim for all but the lucky, and the wealthy. Open sewers and poor drainage, filthy streets and houses, dung piles, and lack of ventilation and fresh air, formed London’s insanitary living conditions.

The resulting stench was added to by the ubiquitous pong of rotting bodies as disposal of the dead became more difficult, especially with the capital’s burgeoning population.

Cleanliness was a problem. Indeed, for “the great unwashed” bodily dirt was a point of pride as it showed you were an honest worker. Disease was the result. Cholera, typhus, smallpox, tuberculosis and leprosy all took their toll. Fog and smoke exacerbated people’s pitiful living conditions. Life was very hard for most. Continue reading →