Polly’s jolly bonnet

[Linotte]

Hello all! Do we have a description of Polly Nichols’s “jolly bonnet” anywhere?

I came across some info about its location when her body was found (kudos to Christer Holmgren for this detail).

Would anyone also agree that Polly seemed proud of that bonnet, ie, it was the one nice thing she had? I have a couple hunches, but I’m looking for info before proceeding further. Thanks in advance!

[Herlock Sholmes]

Hello all! Do we have a description of Polly Nichols’s “jolly bonnet” anywhere?

I came across some info about its location when her body was found (kudos to Christer Holmgren for this detail).

Would anyone also agree that Polly seemed proud of that bonnet, ie, it was the one nice thing she had? I have a couple hunches, but I’m looking for info before proceeding further. Thanks in advance!

Hi Linotte,

I’ll stand correcting of course but I’m fairly certain that we’ve never had a description of Polly’s bonnet.

[Linotte]

Hi Linotte,

I’ll stand correcting of course but I’m fairly certain that we’ve never had a description of Polly’s bonnet.

Well, that’s a bummer. Thanks for the quick reply!

[Sam Flynn]

I'm fairly certain that we've never had a description of Poll's bonnet.

I beg to differ, Herlock. In fact, I've managed to find a photo of it. Trigger warning - some people might not like what they see.

[Lewis C]

Hello all! Do we have a description of Polly Nichols’s “jolly bonnet” anywhere?

I came across some info about its location when her body was found (kudos to Christer Holmgren for this detail).

Would anyone also agree that Polly seemed proud of that bonnet, ie, it was the one nice thing she had? I have a couple hunches, but I’m looking for info before proceeding further. Thanks in advance!

I don't have a description, but I agree that she seemed proud of it. She seemed to feel that that bonnet alone would make her attractive to any potential customer.

[etenguy]

Hello all! Do we have a description of Polly Nichols’s “jolly bonnet” anywhere?

I came across some info about its location when her body was found (kudos to Christer Holmgren for this detail).

Would anyone also agree that Polly seemed proud of that bonnet, ie, it was the one nice thing she had? I have a couple hunches, but I’m looking for info before proceeding further. Thanks in advance!

Hi Linotte

I have nothing beyond the description in the inventory of her clothing made at at the mortuary - a black straw bonnet trimmed with black velvet.

At the Inquest, PC Neil stated:

- Deceased was lying lengthways along the street, her left hand touching the gate.

and

- Her bonnet was off and lying at her side, close to the left hand.

[Herlock Sholmes]

I beg to differ, Herlock. In fact, I've managed to find a photo of it. Trigger warning - some people might not like what they see.

You know what a delicate woke soul I am Gareth.

[Linotte]

Hi Linotte

I have nothing beyond the description in the inventory of her clothing made at at the mortuary - a black straw bonnet trimmed with black velvet.

At the Inquest, PC Neil stated:

- Deceased was lying lengthways along the street, her left hand touching the gate.

and

- Her bonnet was off and lying at her side, close to the left hand.

Thank you! I appreciate you guys indulging my little Elle Woods moment. Hear me out.

So I’ve been to Mackinac Island here in Michigan several times. No cars are allowed on it, so the only modes of transportation are bike and horse-drawn wagon. As you can imagine, the streets can get pretty nasty due to the horses, especially during summer tour season. Probably not as bad as the East End in 1888, but it provides a baseline for my reference.

So with the streets all nasty, mucky, and dirty, why would any of these ladies just choose a place to sleep rough close to the road? Especially someone like Liz Stride, who seemed to take some pride in her appearance and tried to keep her clothes looking nice?

I know most people don’t agree with that anyhow, but that idea just hit me this morning because I copy-edited Christer’s article yesterday. Obviously, the standards of cleanliness have changed since then, but who would choose to sleep in horse poop?