What Exactly is "Shabby Genteel"?

[Stephen Thomas]

Hi Sam

Yes, I seem to remember an amusing quote in the Stephen Knight book regarding Sickert's usual attire in those days, in words to that effect.

[Sam Flynn]

I take it to mean "wearing what had once been half-decent clothes, but which had seen much better days"... as opposed to the tat that most of the East End poor had, which was cheap-looking to begin with.

[Slimsid2000]

Seems a bit of a strange term to me. A bit of a contradiction in terms and also it is hard to imagian JTR being genteel at all although shabby is quite likely.