Shining a Light on Victorian Domestic Crime
In the crowded streets of London an eerie quiet starts to settle across the city...A malevolent darkness descends on the cluttered together houses and alleyways as people scramble hurriedly to get to safety from the incoming fog. For most, the lamps that line the street offer safety in the form of vision, and they relish it as a respite from the surrounding void. However, for most the lack of them creates long nights with light sleep, as they lack the visibility and locked doors of the upper classes. But what if violence came from more than just a cloaked dagger held by a stranger on a street corner? We take a look at how light was a concept used to purify external environments and keep public places safer, but also how its saving grace failed to penetrate the already lighted domestic sphere, where people were still vulnerable to brutality and sometimes death. The criminal topography of the Victorian Era was built in mind with institutions like marriage and class tha...
