No hat? So what?

[Celesta]

Hi Celesta-

I think....... (sometimes) that maybe the shawl was the garment of choice and that a bonnet of any description would have been a luxury beyond the dreams of avarice!!!!!Also I suspect that a GOOD shawl would have been a luxury/gift anyway!

A quick nip out for a quicky IMHO wouldn't have required a 'What shall I wear ' scenario would it?

The concept of that ....re Mary [or let's face it any of them]... in Dorset Street or wherever...late at night...maybe a tad 'merry' ....or whatever is impossible!.

The image of Polly saying she'd be back and Annie munching the last of her potato doesn't bring the ''Er what shall I wear ''image'' to mind does it?
Poor dabs....it was go out and get it 'done' and get the few pennies for a bed not OMG what shall I wear!

#Best
Suzi x

Hi Suzi, I think you're right. It was 'let's get it done' in both the prostitute's and the client's opinions. It's not like the women stood in front of their closets and said "What shall I wear to the...ahem...tonight?" (Kind of hard to do when you don't even own a closet much less a room to put it in. ) In the case of impoverished women like Polly, a new bonnet would be so exciting. Multiply what you and I feel over a new and long-anticipated item by 100 and you might get the equivalent of Polly's excitement.

I haven't read Walkowitz's book and have only seen an excerpt from it on the net. I was just going on the little Gareth had room to tell us about. For women who were a little better off, who had a private room, and were able to
get a more wealthy client, the no hat approach might have been a useful lure. I'm going to go back and see if I can find out when this book came out and a little more about it.

Hiddy-ho, C

[Suzi]

Hi C
Some good points there- I agree a BONNET.....'jolly' or not would have been something else again!!!!....probably would have been a goodie to pawn too!!!!

Now if 'Uncle' was open at this time [which I assume he would have been] then maybe Pol would have worn it up and toddled back with the money........NOW where the bonnet came from in the first place along with Kate's 'Good afternoon out' still has to be wondered at 'eh

Hmmmmmmm I suppose that a 'good head of hair' worn with style may have been an advantage..........where did you wash it though??.........no conditioner too!!!!

Suzi x

[Stephen Thomas]

Wasn't there a quote from one of Mary's neighbours that went something like 'She were as fair as the lily and she had a bonnet. I ain't got no bonnet'.

[richardnunweek]

Hi Stephen,
The quote refering to MJKS clothing comes from neighbour Mrs Prater who claimed to have seen her around 9pm at the court entrance wearing a coat and bonnet, it was then she made the comment' i dont own such garments'.
she not only noticed her clothing but had a conversation with her ending with Kelly saying 'Goodnight my pretty' [ a term that mjk used with Prater].
Strangly enough Mjk was reportedly seen wearing a much run down attire less then three hours later by the witness Cox...
Regards Richard.

[paul emmett]

].
Strangly enough Mjk was reportedly seen wearing a much run down attire less then three hours later by the witness Cox...
Regards Richard.

Hi, richard.

Why do you say it was run down? Cox did say no bonnet. Does that speak to what MJK was doing?

[Sox]

I was interested to read (Judith Walkowitz, 1982) that the dress code of many prostitutes at that time was not to wear anything on their heads - a free-flowing head of hair being perhaps a "come-on" that would attract customers, especially if that hair was young and luxuriant.

With that in mind, the "big deal" made of Kelly's habit of not wearing a hat is perhaps misplaced, and many others of her class would have adhered to the same style.

Observations and comments welcome.

Hi Sam. I too have read accounts of this 'advertised availabilty', that is was common practice for such women to go around in two's and three's, hatless and shawless, which was considered 'brazen' behaviour'. I have also seen mention of such women wearing their hair 'loose' or 'down' in public too. From (still ongoing) research I am almost convinced that common prostitutes would mainly count on being approached, whilst the casual women would do much of the appraoching themselves.

[richardnunweek]

Hi Paul,
The term I used 'Run down' was not the best description. more like dressed down.
My point was Prater saw kelly around 9pm dressed in what might be described as her sunday best, yet less then three hours later with no evidence that she had returned home in between, Cox observes kelly wearing a linsey frock and a wrap-over.
I am somewhat suspicious of Cox, and i must ask the questions
Did Mjk return home to change clothing between 9pm and coxs sighting?
If so why?
Was cox relaying the truth when she claims to have followed Mary and blotchy along Dorset street and in the court around midnight?
If that is the case why tell her neice a vastly different story,ie. Waiting at her door in the court for her husband [ who was late] to arrive home from the pub, and saw a ';Real toff' come up the passage and was apparently leading Mjk by the hand ,and in a hurry. hense the remark from Mary'All right Luv dont pull me along'?.
Is the real scenerio this.
Kelly goes out dressed up in her best around 9am, stops and speaks to Prater, and goes off to meet someone that was arranged, he however was not there, this being the case kelly returns home,and changes then goes out again .
She encounters Blotchy face who she knew as a laugh and they returned back to the room to share the ale, she then encounters Cox.
shortly before 1am Blotchy leaves to go back to his lodgings [ before closing]
Kelly was in her room then alone, and since her dream [ that she was being murdered] was paronoid so she decided to venture out despite the hour to see if she encountered a woman that may need a shelter for the night so that she could have company till daybreak.
En-route she encounters Hutchinson, then she sees her date that she had arranged to meet earlier waiting by Thrawl street, he says something and they both laughed, and the rest is in Hutchinsons statement.
Upon entering the court just after 2am, she is observed once again by Cox waiting at the door, this being the story she told her neice.
The above contents could explain events up to now, taking all statements into account, even the neices 'Hear say'.
So what happens next taking statements and oral history into account.
There are two endings.
A] Astracan enters the room with Kelly he is JtR, he had arrannged to meet Kelly after 9pm and they could have drinks, stop the night and he would escort her for a day at the Lord Mayors show [ which Kelly wanted to go to]
but had no intention of meeting her , his intention was to call on kelly in her room around 230 am with' I am sorry' pretence, then kill her. he brought with him some fish and chips in a paper parcel as a peace offering.
Because of sightings by Hutch and Cox , he delays matters for over a hour and kelly eats some fish and potatoes.
Around 4am he committs the deed and leaves around 615am.
Scenerio Two.
The man dressed in Astracan observed by hutchinson and Cox was nothing more then a man kelly knew, dressed up to go to the lord mayors show and wanted to rest for the remainder of the night , he promised Mary that if she would allow that, she could accompany him to the show, and share the supper he had just purchased also.
Once in the room Mary falls asleep, around 4am she suddenly screams out from the reoccurence of her dream, but settles down once again, this unnerves Astracan and he leaves the room around 6am , with mary fast asleep.
Around 73oam, Catherine Picket knocks on Marys door to ask if she could borrow her shawl as it was raining, there is no answer , but Mjk awakes, she lights the fire with whatever fuel she has, eats some fish and potatoes that her guest had left her, and goes out. brings up some vomit, speaks to Maxwell, and meets a man around 830am who asks if she would go with him, she says she only lives up the street , and that she has her own room, and a warm fire. he says he will be around ten minutes or so and will call on her.
'Just go straight in second door door along the passage' says Mary. not suspecting that this man dressed as a porter was Jtr, for this was daylight and she felt safe.
Mary then returns to her room, takes of her boots leaves them near the fire, and undressed down to her Chemise, as she does so the man enters the room and Mary is no more.
I Feel that all the points have some credence and give food for thought.
Regards Richard.

[Celesta]

The Victorian Dictionary provides ample discussion of prostitutes of all classes and locations and provides some discussion of dress, for any who are interested. Look under Crime or under Women. I'm posting it as a short-cut for those who might want to take a look.

http://www.victorianlondon.org/

[paul emmett]

Thanks, Celesta.

Hi, Richard.

All I can find for Prater and 9:00 is that she went out then. Where do I look to see the MJK sighting, which I do think is interesting. As far as Cox's neice, I'm not in love with her. She, for example, says Cox was waiting for her husband, but Cox was widowed, right? As far as Hutchinson, I too think that we have to consider his story.

Let me know re Prater.

Thanks, Paul