Fallen Narrative in the Museum of London

Our class visited the Museum of London on the 21st of January to explore the history and culture of the Victorians. The museum had a large section dedicated to the Victorian era of London with a large timeline running along the wall naming important events. One event it listed involved the Jack the Ripper killings in Whitechapel, and this reminded me of the “east vs. west” and “fallen woman” narratives we discussed in class. While the west side of London housed the wealthy and respectable, the Jack the Ripper killings took place on the east side, which was known for its high crime rates and crippling poverty. The targets of these crimes were mainly women prostitutes who fit the fallen woman narrative. These women had become impure in the eyes of society for their deviance from respectable sexuality; they were ostracized and cast out of their normal lives to live in poverty. We read about further examples of this idea in James Greenwood’s A Night on Waterloo Bridge, where he described the gathering of outcast women on Waterloo Bridge seeking money for warmth and shelter for the night.

Elements of this narrative were present throughout the Victorian section of the museum, and a painting hidden in the corner subtly suggested this idea as well. The painting showed a scene of Piccadilly Circus at night with a woman walking alone in the foreground. From what we discussed in class about women requiring the accompaniment of a man, it is very likely that the solo woman in this painting is “fallen” and would be viewed with contempt by the Victorians.