In and Out of the London Abyss: Dressing ‘Down’ by Victorian and Edwardian Social Investigators

In Victorian and Edwardian times, ‘slumming’ was practiced by lady visitors, journalists and social inquirers, and was also a hobby among the well-to-do. This essay considers their practice as an early form of participant observation—a sociological method that involves crossing the boundaries of space, class and race to collect firsthand information. Crossing the borders of class brought a change in perspective that resulted in valuable impressions. During the first phase, ‘gaining entry’, the investigator disguises himself or herself so as to pass as a member of a different class or category. In the Victorian and Edwardian literature of the Abyss, the recording of the phase of dressing ‘down’ became a kind of vignette, a scene that is very revealing of the way the investigators regarded their experience, and of the impression they were trying to make on their readers. This essay will consider extracts from the works by Elizabeth Banks, Mary Higgs, James Greenwood, Jack London and other social investigators who immersed themselves in the world of the poor for research purposes.