Indeed, there is talk of upper class gentlemen 'slumming it' in the east end for a night with the local working girls, not only because they would not have to worry about being recognised but also for a slightly immoral, vicarious thrill. It has never been proved to my knowledge, however, quite how widespread this practice was - and there are several books etc that are guilty of overplaying the angle. Whatever the truth, I think in almost all the cases if and when it did happen, the 'gentleman' in question would have dressed down for the occasion; largely for safety reasons but who knows maybe it also added to the attraction. Not that such attempts at disguise would necessarily have been entirely succesful - 'People of the Abyss' comes to mind, in which Jack London buys what he thinks are the most wretched clothes he has ever seen in order to blend in to the area, only to be complimented on his fine dress whilst walking along the Mile End Road!
A top-hatted 'Jack' would therefore have stood out a mile, and with all the usual caveats about eye-witness testimony I think is is fair to say there is a good chance someone would have mentioned seeing such a character, and of course if you believe one or more of the witness descriptions we do have then it goes without saying that none of them fit. More than anything though, it just doesn't make sense - why would a murderer want to draw extra attention to himself? The whole 'Jack the toff' idea seems to have been founded on the misapprehension that an upper-class man could have evaded justice easier (ala Gull, Druitt, Stephen, Prince Eddie - can you see where this is going?); and while it may be true that class would have brought certain priviledges with the investigators, it wouldn't have rendered you invisible in the streets of Whitechapel etc if you were dressed accordingly - quite the opposite.
Over and above the dangers of being spotted in relation to the murder enquiries, it would also be a pretty unsafe practice in terms of simple self-preservation. Look at Thomas Sadler's statement to see the likely fate of someone dressed as if he had money walking down Flower and Dean St after dark. And Sadler was a sailor wearing his one pair of clothes! If that was enough to get you marked as a target for robbery, a hat and cape would be tantamount to suicide. Hutchison's 'Astrakhan Man' is another place you will find a lot of similar points being discussed - although with all the usual health disclaimers that should go with mentioned Mr H!
As it happens MR I am currently working on a documentary of my own, obviously its up to you but if you are willing to share any details of your film I would be very interested to hear more about it and to help in any way I can.
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Actually I know I've read how some people with money did frequent the East End for prostitutes because no one knew them there. But the main reasons why a cape and top hat wouldn't have worked for the Ripper are because he wouldn't have been able to blend in while moving about and making his escapes, and because it would have made him bait for muggers.Leave a comment:
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Why The Top Hat and Cape Wouldn't Work In Real Life?
I'm making a video which involves arguing against this depiction. I need help in determining if these objections are reasonable...
The popular image of Jack the Ripper is of a shadowy figure, dressed in gentleman's clothes, a long cloak, and a top hat.
But that's only a myth. Why?
Well, I've heard a number of reasons why he wouldn't have been able to wear such an upper-class outfit.
1) People with money would've preferred West End prostitutes. They wouldn't have gone to the East End.
2) These clothes would've drawn suspicion to him.
3) Prostitutes wouldn't have trusted him.
4) He would've been caught.
How did this image come into being?
Leave a comment: