london: class and consumerism
TRANSCRIPT
LondonClass and Consumerism
Social class at the beginning of the 19th century• Hereditary: people generally expected to continue in the social class
of their parents. One usually married someone from the same social class.• Fixed: people did not often change their social class, and if they did,
this was not often considered a good thing.• Providential: Social class was commonly seen as part of the natural
order, and an essential part of a functional society.
THE UPPER CLASS• Royalty• Nobility • Gentry
Royalty
Nobility• Are landed proprietors – do not work• Have a noble title: Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount, or Baron.• Are generally addressed as ‘Lord’ or ‘Lady’.• Highly educated and often widely travelled.• Have an automatic seat in the House of Lords.• Noble houses usually had dozens of servants
House of Lords
Noble country residence
Noble City Residence
Gentry• Landed Proprietors – do not work• Usually much less wealthy than the nobility, but much more
numerous• Do not have noble titles, are referred to as ‘Mr’ and ‘Mrs’.• Sometimes given a non-noble knighthood title by royal decree (Sir or
Baronet). These titles are not hereditary and do not confer political privilege.• Are represented in the House of Commons• Employ several servants
A country residence of the Gentry
London residences of the Gentry
The Middle Classes• Upper Middle Class • Middle Middle Class• Lower Middle Class
Upper middle class• Including ‘Captains of industry’ and Imperial ‘nabobs’• Usually do not have a landed estate, though may buy one• Have made a great deal of money in commerce or trade• often mix with the gentry and nobility• Are often even wealthier than the upper classes, but are still
considered socially inferior• Like the gentry and nobility, the upper middle classes employ several
servants
Upper middle class homes in London
Upper middle class family
Middle Middle Classes• Professionals, such as doctors, lawyers and bankers• Do not have a landed estate• Have a university education• Live a comfortable lifestyle, though not necessarily in a fashionable
area (Many preferred to live near their businesses in the unfashionable east of London).• Much of the London Jewish community belonged to this class.• Keep a handful of servants (2-5)
‘Middle’ middle class home near Brick Lane, London
Lower Middle classes• Generally well educated, though not necessarily at university• Include clerks, teachers, shopkeepers, merchants, and governesses.• Often live over shops or in smaller apartments (as opposed to houses)• Are often financially precarious, and run the risk of falling into the
lower classes.• Generally keep at least one servant
Lower middle class homes
Lower Class• The Working Class• The Poor
The Working Class• Have only basic or no education (can possibly read and write).• Include factory workers, shop workers, and servants.• Often had a skill: carpentry, metal work, cobbling etc. • Do not have servants
Working class home
The Poor• Often could not read or write• Unskilled workers• Worked when work was available, in ‘sweatshop’ factories or on
farms.• Often turned to criminal activity
Slums in London’s Seven Dials district
‘The City’
Boundaries of Londinium
Medieval London
West End London
18th century developments around Westminster
19th c. Wealth map
Knightsbridge
East End London
London Docks
Limehouse
The Rookeries