Jacks clothes

[redjac]

Apologies if this has been covered before (but cant seem to find any under the search function)

Anyway in regards to the kind of clothes we can speculate on the Jack wearing. Hollywood and the general media likes to portray him in top hat, Cloak, gentlemans long coat, white gloves etc (in the From Hell movie when he suits up its like watching Batman or Bond don his outfit for the first time)

But that cant really be the case can it? (unless it the whole thing was like From Hell portrayed)…surely hed have to be in ‘normal’ clothes in order to blend in…so what type of clothes would the average guy be wearing in 1888?

were hats a big thing for your average guy then?

[Rubyretro]

I think that the clothes Jack wore is just one other fascinating aspect of the case which just doesn't add up, like everything else that keeps us hooked.

There are quite a few witness statements, and when you look at the timings, the chances are that one or several of them are describing the killer -the trouble is that they don't agree. There are different hats, and clothes which
point to different jobs, and different stations in life.

Lawende's ruffian sailor in a cap, doesn't fit with Mrs Long's man, nor the man in a deerstalker or Hutchinsons 'Astrakhan Man', nor the workmen off to work
in Hanbury Street (seen by Cadoche ?). None of them fit with a butcher.

I don't think that Jack was a master of disguises, and he must just have blended in with everyone else out on the street. He probably didn't own many clothes, and, if he lived in lodging houses and was itinerant as many
single men at the bottom of society were, there would be times when he would have to carry everything he owned on him -so he couldn't own much.

Then there is the blood spatter. Whilst I think that he must have taken great care not to be covered in blood, carving up Eddowes and throwing around
Chapman's intestines must have been a messy business, and he must surely have got some droplets of blood on himself (he could have undressed for Kelly). it must have been difficult if he had a shirt with white cuffs. and it was dark. He must have been sponging down his clothes alot and washing shirts.

One thing that intrigues me is that we see from Eddowes that these people
pawned clothes for cash, and used aliases on pawn tickets, so maybe he did change clothes -if he knew something to have blood on it which had left a stain but was not really visible to anyone else after cleaning. I can't think that he'd feel at ease knowing that he had a stain on him which could possibly be incriminating if ever he was looked over by the Police -he'd want to be sure that he was irreproachable.

[Phil H]

I believe that all we can say is that he wouod have worn a hat (in contrast to today, everyone without exception wore hats in the 1880s). That might have been a soft cap with fore and aft peaks, a billy-**** or even a bowler (derby for US readers) or a dozen other varieties.

I suspect that "Jack" would have worn second hand clothes, well-worn and seedy, and perhaps an apron (a "leather apron"?) if he was a tradesman (butcher, shoe- or leather-worker etc). In contrast to day, when there is dry cleaning and steam pressing/ironing, clothes were brushed rather than cleaned, with linen washed (but probably less regularly than today). So, I deduce that Jack's clothing would have been threadbare, creased and crumpled, stained with food and other things and rather more smelly than we would countenance today.

If he were a sailor, then a reefer jacket and peaked cap might have been possible.

If "Jack" was Kosminski, Kaminski or any of the certifiable types roaming the streets and practicing unmentionable vices, heaven alone knows what he might have looked like!

Further than that I do not think we can go.

P.S. I am sure that he would not have worn evening dress, a top hat (or anything with astrakhan!) and is less likely to have been a clerk and thus worn a suit.

[redjac]

Thanks for the responses, very interesting

don’t know if you guys have seen JTR portrayed by McFarlane toys - certainly a different take than the traditional top Hat and tails LOL

http://www.spawn.com/toys/media.aspx?product_id=1702&type=photo&file=monsters3_jack_photo_05_dp.jpg

On another note what type of stuff do people think the ripper might have been carrying? (due to clues left at crime scenes) ive read about the various ‘presents’ at the murder scenes - red leather cigarette case and red handkerchief but was wondering if there were any others?

http://www.casebook.org/dissertations/ripperoo-clues.html

[Phil H]

If the "red leather cigarette case" which you mention is a reference to the list of Eddowes possessions, then I always assumed it belonged to her.

Where was the red handkerchief mentioned? I know Hutchinson said that Astrakhan man gave one to MJK - but was he JtR and was it found in the room? I don't believe so.

In the case of Stride, grapes and cashews (breath fresheners) have been mentioned but I don't believe that the grapes are now thought to be relevent, and there is no evidence where she got the cashews - perhaps from her date that night? They were in her hand where she lay.

I don't think "Jack" carried anything - references to parcels and American cloth and string or straps or even a Gladstone bag, if supposed to be where he kept the knife, seem far too complicated.

"Wait a moment, Mary/Annie/Kate I just have to undo this parcel. O blast! The string's gone into a knot. I'll be with you in just a mo...!" It just doesn't work for me. His knife was in a pocket or a sheath on his belt, in my view.

Phil

[TomTomKent]

We have to take into account the relative darkness that was a feature in all witness staments, and wonder how much or little detail was likely to be seen. We are talking about a darkness where the blood and wounds of some victims was effectively hidden from passing glances. If we assume that Jack wore clothes with in a social norm, trousers, shirt, jacket and cap, in a dark brown or grey (common because consistent dye quality was relatively economical to achieve in those colours) we can speculate that other than the broad strokes, like the deerstalker cap and cut of the jacket, there was little detail that could be discerned. The difference in quality between a working jacket, sunday best, or better quality clothes depends largely on age and material less than shape or style (in my humble opinion, I see no shame in being corrected here). Add in conjecture about the tendency to pawn or sell on old but usable clothes, and the matter could easily be further confused.

My personal take of the witness statements is this; if Jack was a nameless nobody the "sailor" description is not that far from a lot of other working class dress; a jacket that has been repaired over and again, relatively neutral shirt and trousers, and the one bit of colour in the scarf or cravat. The male equivalent of the bonny bonnet one of the victims was proud of.