Kate Hamilton's notorious 'night-house' (night-club) at 48 Leicester Square, 1860s; now a McDonalds.

Shard through a tunnel, Southwark. #photography #photo

I really cannot recommend this excellent piece on Hammersmith Bridge highly enough

fascinating Covent Garden brothel case at the Old Bailey in 1852. owner punched out a drunken customer who refused to pay 2s (double for two girls) & propped him up against a wall. maid-servant helped and hurried back to 'sheet up' more beds, as "a great many were waiting for the rooms to vacated".

this is nothing new, of course, but, thinking about Jewish brothels in Covent Garden, I thought I'd have a quick look at Oliver Twist and, yep, Fagin is named as 'the Jew' 308 times. The word 'Fagin' appears 309 times, but mostly in dialogue, with people addressing him, or 'said Fagin' etc.

We've all been there

in the unlikely event anyone knows of academic work on Jewish brothel-keepers in Georgian London through to the early Victorian period, please let me know.

another mild case of historical nominative determinism. a police constable in 1834, found to have been soliciting bribes: PC Thomas Tipper.

CDC Tiny Cows and Vaccines Questions and Concerns Vaccines will not make tiny cows sprout from your body. The claim that vaccines will not make tiny cows sprout from your body is not an evidence-based claim, because studies have not ruled out the possibility.

Transfiguration in Salford

A cheery alpaca, drawn in Brazil by Dutch artist Frans Post. He was born in Haarlem on this day in 1612.

"Virginia was not well turned out."

Might have something to do with radios collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co84...

There's a book dedicated to the 1950s TV quiz show What's My Line on archive.org ... it includes a list of all the programmes and 'professions' ... bit skeptical about 'cat's whisker crimper' as full-time employment, if I'm brutally honest.

Dame Gladys Cooper (December 18, 1888 – November 17, 1971)

and best thing at the V&A

also a baby pterodactyl

another great bunch of lads

great bunch of lads

Peter Sekaer, New York, c 1934.

Death in an egg-box

"I was what is called a gay or unfortunate woman for some time, but not very unfortunate." [cigar shops in central London in mid-19C had a certain reputation]

"It was stated they were in the habit of walking & riding together & a cabman deposed that they had been guilty of indecent familiarities while he was driving them in his vehicle. Mr Robinson had taken lodings for the respondent in London & been unremitting in his attentions to her whilst in town."

'Tall Fan' from Liverpool, 1850

Rétro Station Service ⛽️ OZO ⛽️ avec voiture SIMCA à Cognac 1963

Hello Monday. 🖼️ Esther Inglis, Self Portrait, 1595.

The woman across the road who regularly stands on her balcony and sings, incredibly volubly, a limited repertoire of 80s/90s pop songs, interjected with various whoops (literally 'WHOOP!') is currently simultaneously encouraging Albania to beat England.

just to hint that there's 50% off ALL @yalebooks.bsky.social books on their website until end November, including mine yalebooks.co.uk/author/lee-j... Obviously, please prioritise buying mine.

Just saw this and looking forward to reading it!

Ghost sign in the Partick area of Glasgow. John Curdie and Son was started in Kilmarnock in 1870. John Curdie himself died at age 68 in 1911, but the business carried on. Cont./ #glasgow #ghostsign #partick #glasgowhistory

"How dare you have the audacity to wake me from my psychedelic sleep?"

real-life thieves and prostitutes of the sort Dickens portrayed in Oliver Twist ... (this from 1837)

spending the afternoon trying to track down Victorian brothel-keepers in the censuses; as you do.

For anyone who is like “the creature is also named Frankenstein”; Mary Shelley went to see a play version of Frankenstein and was tickled that they listed the creature as “———“ in the dramatis personae: “this nameless mode of naming the unnameable is rather good” www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/3...

"An innovative exploration of the roles of women working in policing and private agencies." The #WolfsonHistoryPrize judges on why they have shortlisted 'The Mysterious Case of the Victorian Female Detective' by Sara Lodge (@victoriandetective.bsky.social) for the 2025 Wolfson History Prize.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

'Incendiaries' (1940-1945) by Paul Lucien Dessau (Museum of London)

Rétro cars voiture 🚘 la Citroën Ami 6 de juillet 1965 ....

always good to have a couple of strings to your bow

a brothel-keeper in Hart Street, 1851 census, and a pair of men and women who were not keen on giving their names and ages for some reason; you can imagine the comedy ... "sorry, I won't keep you a moment, I just need a name and place of birth ..." (lovely handwriting too, while we're here)

Bridges St in the 1851 census, opposite Drury Lane Theatre, long history of prostitution, no actual sign of that in the census itself - and suspect it was 'cleaned up' in second half of 19C - but more than 50% of the 'head of household' are women ... how common was that in working class areas?

found the infamous Renton Nicholson in the 1851 census, in a multiple occupancy house on Bow Street with two teenage daughters en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renton_...

Rosoman was a fireman in the Blitz. The men in the painting died. It haunted him. He painted the scene many times. He was later an important teacher; David Hockney was one of his students. He died aged 98 in 2012.

I'm now thinking Wine Porter, I have to be honest.

Important part of the tanning process?

tell me its not 'urine porter'?

fourth one down - "household ..." what ? (I hesitantly don't think it's 'servant' and they seem to have a house to themselves)

higher quality VIMBOS image!

@victorianlondon.bsky.social Spotted at the beautifully atmospheric Wilton’s Music Hall near Whitechapel. Saveloys, pats of butter and coffee as a real luxury.