Ripper Anatomy Class

[Errata]

Mary Kelly

Chemise

*An undergarment, typically long sleeved. Short chemises come to about the knee, long chemises about to the ankle. Typically lightweight, light cotton is a good guess. Often used as a nightgown. Very simple design with neck and shoulder seams, side seams, and cuff and bottom hems.

That one was easy.

[Errata]

Catherine Eddowes

Black straw bonnet trimmed in green and black velvet with black beads. Black strings, worn tied to the head.

* Straw bonnets were summer clothing. The velvet and beads make it finer than one would ordinarily see in the lower class.

Black cloth jacket trimmed around the collar and cuffs with imitation fur and around the pockets in black silk braid and fur. Large metal buttons.

*Pattern unknown. Most likely a style of coat that closely resembles a dress with a tailored fit. Front or side buttons. Material unknown, not wool. Pockets were likely sewn to the front rather than the evelope style pockets in blue jeans. Probably one on either side and a little lower than the navel. Areas of greatest strength: Unsure. Waistband and front chest seem likely. Shoulder sleeve seams. Fur trimmed areas.

Dark green chintz skirt, 3 flounces, brown button on waistband. The skirt is patterned with Michaelmas daisies and golden lilies.

* Chintz is patterned calico, a simple cotton weave. A flounce is a wide ruffle. Given the fabric is patterned, it seems likely that the flounces were on the bottom of the skirt. Areas of greatest strength: waistband.

Man's white vest, matching buttons down front.

*Given the lack of either corset or stays, It is possible that the victim was using a cut down man's vest as an undergarment. If not, I guess she was just wearing a man's vest. Fabric unknown. Areas of greatest strength: Unaltered, none. Altered, side seams.

Brown linsey bodice, black velvet collar with brown buttons down front

*Bodice patterns vary greatly, but certain things are more prevalent and more likely. A bodice is essentially a shirt. Sleeve and neck patterns vary a great deal, but for this purpose are irrelevant. Likely front closing, with hooks or buttons. Lacing possible but not probable. Likely high necked, with side seams and darts running from breast to waist. Likely tailored at waist, Likely ends at hip (and inch or two above pubis). Linsey is either linen, or a linen wool blend. Velvet is a silk plush cloth. Durable, but does not wear well. Very sturdy. Unusual for a woman of the lower class. Areas of greatest strength: front where fastenings would be. Neck seam if high necked. Shoulder seams. Collar.

Grey stuff petticoat with white waistband

*Pant type underwear, worns to give volume to the bottom half of the body. Also for warmth. Probably knee length. Some petticoats were highly ruffled, likely not these. Stuff is a coarse wool. Areas of strength: Waistband, crotch seam.

Very old green alpaca skirt (worn as undergarment)

*Most common style at this time for this class is a skirt attached to a buttoned waistband. Gathering and pleating is common. Side seams likely, gusset possible in back. Other possible construction (though less likely) is a drawstring skirt (think open ended pillowcase with a drawstring at one end). Alpaca is a South American relative of the camel. Has very soft very dense very fine wool. Very rare in a woman of the lower class, even as a cast off. Areas of greatest strength: Waistband especially if the skirt was gathered or pleated. Lengthwise seams could really be anywhere, but would not account for significant resistance

Very old ragged blue skirt with red flounces, light twill lining (worn as undergarment)

*Same style as above. Flounces are wide ruffles, probably at the bottom of the skirt. Fabric unknown. Twill is a cotton weave, ofthen herringboned. Essentially light blue jean material. Very sturdy. Areas of greatest strength: Possible waistband, but likely none given the condition.

White calico chemise

*An undergarment, typically long sleeved. Short chemises come to about the knee, long chemises about to the ankle. Often used as a nightgown. Very simple design with neck and shoulder seams, side seams, and cuff and bottom hems. Calico is a cotton weave. Areas of greatest strength: none

No drawers or stays

*Lack of drawers probably for professional.. access. Lack of stays unusual, white vest may be a substitute.

Pair of men's lace up boots, mohair laces. Right boot repaired with red thread

1 piece of red gauze silk worn as a neckerchief

*Neckerchiefs were worn for generally four reasons. 1: as an accessory 2: for warmth 3: as a sort of modesty panel for a lower cut shirt 4: as a handkerchief. 3 seems unlikely. Worn for warmth, it would likely be double knotted. Silk is rare for a woman of the lower class. Worn as an accessory or a handkerchief, likely single knotted.

2 unbleached calico pockets, tape strings

* likely a spare piece of cloth sewn into a pouch. Calico is a cotton weave. Tape is essentially a coarse cooton ribbon folded in half for seam reinforcement. Areas of greatest strength: the knot in the strings.

1 blue stripe bed ticking pocket

*likely a spare piece of cloth sewn into a pouch. Bed ticking is a very tightly woven cotton or cotton linen blend. Very sturdy. Areas of greatest strength: Ticking is very tough fabric, so all of it.

Brown ribbed knee stockings, darned at the feet with white cotton

From the waist up she would be wearing 4-7 layers of cloth, one of which would be might be heavy cloth. Three layer of buttons. From the waist down, not counting stockings or boots she would be wearing 5-11 layers of cloth, Up to four might be heavy cloth. Areas of greatest difficulty to cut: Anything above the knees really. Fur trimmed pockets on the jacket would be incredibly tough. Stuff, twill and velvet are all very sturdy fabrics. Possibly five waistbands stacked on each other, three sets of buttons stacked on each other. Bed ticking was quite possibly the closest equivalent to kevlar, and it is roaming around somewhere in her skirts. She also was carrying a great deal of small things on her. Even the silk neckerchief is extremely difficult to cut through.

In my opinion, the jaggedness of her wounds may very well be due to the hidden layers of buttons. She was also dressed in much finer materials than the other victims.

[Errata]

Oh I forgot.

Victorian woman's uniform:
corset or stays
dress or bodice and skirt
petticoats
drawers
chemise
hat
stockings

The absence of any of these is unusual. Even amongst the very poor. Well, not drawers so much in the victim's cases, as they would be a hindrance to business. But the rest were considered necessities, like bra and panties today. While a lack of a hat for example is not a sign of something fishy necessarily, it does indicate a state of mind not in keeping with ordinary Victorian women.

[Errata]

Liz Stride

Long black cloth jacket, fur trimmed around the bottom with a red rose and white maiden hair fern pinned to it. (She was not wearing the flowers when she left the lodging house.)

*Unusual for fur trim to only be at the hem. Typically also at collar and sleeves. If secondhand, may have been removed for being in poor condition. Rose may or may not be significant, depending on the date of the first frost. Pattern unknown. Most likely a style of coat that closely resembles a dress with a tailored fit. Front or side buttons. Material unknown, not wool. Areas of greatest strength: Unsure. Waistband and front chest seem likely. Shoulder sleeve seams. Fur trimmed areas.

Black skirt

*Most common style at this time for this class is a skirt attached to a buttoned waistband. Gathering and pleating is common. Side seams likely, gusset possible in back. Other possible construction (though less likely) is a drawstring skirt (think open ended pillowcase with a drawstring at one end). Material unknown. Areas of greatest strength: Waistband especially if the skirt was gathered or pleated. Lengthwise seams could really be anywhere, but would not account for significant resistance

Black crepe bonnet

*Likely hard crepe, silk or wool. Think smooth ribbon. May have been tied, or attached with a hairpin.

Checked neck scarf knotted on left side

*Neckerchiefs were worn for generally four reasons. 1: as an accessory 2: for warmth 3: as a sort of modesty panel for a lower cut shirt 4: as a handkerchief. 3 seems unlikely. Worn for warmth, it would likely be double knotted. Worn as an accessory or a handkerchief, likely single knotted.

Dark brown velveteen bodice

*Bodice pattern vary greatly, but certain things are more prevalent and more likely. A bodice is essentially a shirt. Sleeve and neck patterns vary a great deal, but for this purpose are irrelevant. Likely front closing, with hooks or buttons. Lacing possible but not probable. Likely high necked, with side seams and darts running from breast to waist. Likely tailored at waist, Likely ends at hip (and inch or two above pubis). True velvet is silk. Velveteen is the same weave and preparation, only in cotton. Not terribly sturdy. Areas of greatest strength: front where fastenings would be. Neck seam if high necked. Shoulder seams.

2 light serge petticoats

Pant type underwear, worn to give volume to the bottom half of the body. Also for warmth. Probably knee length. Some petticoats were highly ruffled, likely not these. Serge is a version of twill, and is cotton. Essentially light blue jean material. Very sturdy. Areas of strength: Waistband, crotch seam.

1 white chemise

*An undergarment, typically long sleeved. Short chemises come to about the knee, long chemises about to the ankle. Typically lightweight, light cotton is a good guess. Often used as a nightgown. Very simple design with neck and shoulder seams, side seams, and cuff and bottom hems.

White stockings

Spring sided boots

All told, from the waist up she would be wearing 3-5 layers of cloth, one of which would be considered medium to heavy cloth. Possibly two layers would be heavy cloth. From the waist down, not counting stockings or boots she would be wearing 4-6 layers of cloth, two of which while not heavy, are very tough fabrics. Possibly two other layers of heavy cloth. Areas of greatest difficulty to cut: The waist, the chest (from about an inch or two above the navel to the throat), the hip and pelvis area.

[protohistorian]

You rock Errata, keep it coming! Dave

[Errata]

Just some odd notes on fabric in general.

Like wood it is much easier to cut "with the grain" which would be the warp of the fabric (vertically). The woof or weft of the fabric can be significantly more difficult, but not as a rule (horizontally).

n sewing, as long as one is not trying to match patterns, the areas of greatest strain (like say, on either sides of the buttons, or across the abdomen) are positioned along the woof, horizontally.

Flannel is a peculiar fabric, as it is very loosely woven fabric, but felted to to a higher density. Which essentially means the fibers are just holding hands. It is equally likely that seams in a flannel garment part, or the fabric itself parts.

Wool, flannel and silk are the very devil to cut with scissors, especially when loose. However only silk is resistant to puncture. The the point that it was possible for a man shot wearing a silk shirt to pull the fabric taut and pop the bullet out.

The looser the weave, the better the ravel (unraveling). The better the ravel the more jagged the cut.

Flannel can be torn with the hands.

back to the victims.

[Jane Coram]

Hi,

Thanks for the information on stress points Errata -- very useful. It's interesting that because clothing needed to last so long back then, and be mended frequently, they tended to use a lot more double and strengthened seams to make sure that lasted longer. They would have taken a lot more getting through than most garments these days that are mass produced in the Far East!

Just a note on the stays to add to Errata's excellent description of them -- the whole point of stays was to keep the figure constrained to a greater or lesser extent, and they all have ribs of some kind running lengthwise down them, some thick cord as Errata said, and sometimes whale bone or strips of thin metal, like the sort you get in underwired bras these days.

Whichever, those ribs would have been obstacles to the knife blade, and although it's only speculation, I think that the small cuts across and up Polly's body might well have been caused as her killer tried to make a long cut, but kept hitting the ribs of the stays and couldn't get past them, so tried a different angle, hence the number of small cuts running up and across her abdomen, until he finally managed to get passed them and was able to make a long cut.

And there is something that's really bugging me -- could someone clear this up for me? It says here on Casebook that Polly was wearing flannel drawers and suggests it was from Spratling's report, but I've read his report through - in fact I've read all of the police reports through and I can't find anywhere where it says that Polly was wearing drawers.

I'd always believed that she wasn't wearing any. Does anyone know where this information came from? It's obviously very important in terms of her murder, because if she was wearing drawers it does make a lot of difference how the wounds were inflicted. I just haven't been able to find any reference to them. I've obviously missed something somewhere. Logically, I think it seems unlikely that she was wearing drawers if she was out and about looking for customers -- for obvious reasons, even if they were the crotchless kind that were the usual in those days. After a few hours even that kind would be in rather a sorry state.

I'm looking forward to seeing Errata's information on the rest of the victims.
Good stuff.

Hugs

Janie

xxxxx

[Errata]

Annie Chapman

Long black figured coat that came down to her knees

*Unsure. Most likely a style of coat that closely resembles a dress with a tailored fit. Front or side buttons. Material unknown. Areas of greatest strength: Unsure. Waistband and front chest seem likely. Shoulder sleeve seams.

Black skirt

* Most common style at this time for this class is a skirt attached to a buttoned waistband. Gathering annd pleating is common. Side seams likely, gusset possible in back. Other possible construction (though less likely) is a drawstring skirt (think open ended pillowcase with a drawstring at one end). Material unknown. Areas of greatest strength: Waistband especially if the skirt was gathered or pleated. Lengthwise seams could really be anywhere, but would not account for significant resistance

Brown bodice

* Bodice pattern vary greatly, but certain things are more prevalent and more likely. A bodice is essentially a shirt. Sleeve and neck patterns vary a great deal, but for this purpose are irrelevant. Likely front closing, with hooks or buttons. Lacing possible but not probable. Likely high necked, with side seams and darts running from breast to waist. Likely tailored at waist, Likely ends at hip (and inch or two above pubis). Material unknown. Areas of greatest strength: front where fastenings would be. Neck seam if high necked. Shoulder seams.

Another bodice

*Same as above, however as color was not specified it is likely a light color fabric soaked through with blood. Of likely materials for bodice, cotton is the most likely as it was the cheapest and easiest to dye a light color. Wool unlikely given that it typically requires bleaching in order to dye a light color, and has odd hydrophobic like qualities.

2 petticoats

* Pant type underwear, worn to give volume to the bottom half of the body. Also for warmth. Probably knee length. Some petticoats were highly ruffled, likely not these. Areas of strength: Waistband, crotch seam.

A large pocket worn under the skirt and tied about the waist with strings (empty when found)

* likely a spare piece of cloth or canvas sewn into a large pouch. If canvas, can be very strong. strings might prove the weaker point in that case.

Lace up boots

Red and white striped woolen stockings

* Unusual given the futility of trying to keep thing whites in poverty. And festive.

Neckerchief, white with a wide red border (folded tri-corner and knotted at the front of her neck. she is wearing the scarf in this manner when she leaves Crossingham's)

* Again, white is unusual. Neckerchiefs were worn for generally four reasons. 1: as an accessory 2: for warmth 3: as a sort of modesty panel for a lower cut shirt 4: as a handkerchief. 3 seems unlikely. Worn for warmth, it would likely be double knotted. Worn as an accessory or a handkerchief, likely single knotted.

From the waist up she would be wearing 3-6 layers of cloth, one of which would be might be heavy cloth. Possibly up to three layer of buttons. From the waist down, not counting stockings or boots she would be wearing 4-6 layers of cloth, Fabric unknown. Areas of greatest difficulty to cut: The waist, the chest (from about an inch or two above the navel to the throat) and possibly the pelvis, depending on the location and material of the pocket.

[protohistorian]

However you choose ma'am this is awesome! Dave

[Errata]

first one done. I can either to continue to post individually or post them all when I'm done. If theres anything about the format you want to tweak, or anything else you think might be useful, let me know.

Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols

Black Straw bonnet trimmed with black velvet
*may have been tied or attached with a hatpin.

Reddish brown ulster with seven large brass buttons bearing the pattern of a woman on horseback accompanied by a man.

* A long overcoat with short cape and sleeves. It doesnt say the material, but tweed is a good guess. Front or slightly offset buttons. May have high collar. Women's coats have a waistband. Areas of highest strength: waistband, collar, sleeve seams at the shoulder, buttons.

Brown linsey frock (apparently new according to Sugden. Could this be a dress she stole from the Cowdrys?)

* Frock is both a common term for a dress (as opposed to skirt and bodice) and a type of coat. It is possible that the dress had a coatlike buttoned top, but in this case unlikely.Typically at least 4 seams along the top front. Linsey is either linen, or a linen wool blend. Areas of highest strength: Top front, sleeve joins, waistband. The rear would almost certainly be arranged to accommodate a bustle, so it is quite possible it would be longer in the back without one.

White flannel chest cloth

*Not really sure. Likely a camisole or dickey, possible a breast binding. No areas of strength.

Black ribbed wool stockings

Two petticoats, one gray wool, one flannel. Both stenciled on bands "Lambeth Workhouse"

* Pant type underwear, worns to give volume to the bottom half of the body. Also for warmth. Probably knee length. Some petticoats were highly ruffled, likely not these. Areas of strength: Waistband, crotch seam.

Brown stays (short)

* Simple shapewear. Some have shoulder straps, some have garter attachments. Two likely styles in this class. Channels sewn with cotton cord inserted as stays, or strips of cloth sewn on as external "stays". They would have been front lacing, and as such, would have no busk. There would be no eyelets or grommets. They would have been snug on the body, but not tight. Short probably indicates the garment ended at the natural waist (about the navel) Areas of Strength: given the construction requirements, probably none. The pressure exerted on the seams and lacing holes would have required a lot of mending which weakens the cloth. Anyplace the cord or the cloth cloth stays were applied contrary to the weave of the fabric, slight resistance would be encountered.

Flannel drawers

*simple loose fitting underwear. It is possible it had no seams. No areas of strength.

Men's elastic (spring) sided boots with the uppers cut and steel tips on the heels

All told, from the waist up she would be wearing 5-8 layers of cloth, one of which would be considered heavy cloth. From the waist down, not counting stockings or boots she would be wearing 5- layers of cloth, two of which would be considered heavy fabric. Areas of greatest difficulty to cut: The waist, the chest (from about an inch or two above the navel to the throat)

[protohistorian]

That would be awesome Errata, Thank You! Dave

[Errata]

Errata, could I ask you to compile the clothing inventories of the M5 and post them up so we have them in a singular location? Please! Dave

No problem. I can also give you resistance areas in each type of garment. Typically where seams overlap. If you like. I've sewn enough of the @*$% things.

[protohistorian]

M5 distance from jaw

Some reports have no information, so here is what I have.
M1 Henry Llewellyn, "...an inch below the jaw..."
and "...An inch below on the same side..."

M2 Mr. George Baxter Phillips,"The throat had been severed. The incisions of the skin indicated that they had been made from the left side of the neck on a line with the angle of the jaw, carried entirely round and again in front of the neck, and ending at a point about midway between the jaw and the sternum or breast bone on the right hand." Angled incision.

M3 Mr. George Baxter Phillips, "there is a clean cut incision six inches in length; incision commencing two and a half inches in a straight line below the angle of the jaw."

M4 No exact distance given. we have this,"Below the cut was a neckerchief."

M5 Dr. Bond, "The neck was cut through the skin & other tissues right down to the vertebrae the 5th & 6th being deeply notched. The skin cuts in the front of the neck showed distinct ecchymosis..."

Dave

[protohistorian]

Errata, could I ask you to compile the clothing inventories of the M5 and post them up so we have them in a singular location? Please! Dave

[protohistorian]

Alice Mackenzie

Description: "The wound in the neck was 4 in. long, reaching from the back part of the muscles, which were almost entirely divided. It reached to the fore part of the neck to a point 4 in. below the chin." Dr. Phillips

It would look something like this. Dave