Curiosities of London Life: A Portrait of Victorian London

by Charles Manby Smith

We are going to lift the curtain, and present to the gaze of the Public many a varied scene in the strange drama of London life and experience… In this collection of sketches, Charles Manby Smith gives us privileged and unique insight into the nineteenth-century metropolis and all its varied curiosities, allowing us peek behind the scenes at London’s roguery. Not unlike Charles Dickens’ Sketches by Boz, Manby Smith’s Curiosities of London Life presents us with detailed and lively illustrations of a vast cast of characters, from crossing-sweeps and organ grinders to dog-stealers and drink doctors, to specific individuals such as the Blind Fiddler and the Label-printer. It is the sheer scope of these sketches of Victorian lives and societal issues that ensures Manby Smith’s work the status of one of the most important contributions to our depiction of nineteenth-century life in the lower echelons of London’s society, making it a must-read for lovers of Victorian Britain. Charles Manby Smith, (1804-1884) born in Devon at the turn of the nineteenth-century, apprenticed and eventually worked as a printmaker, whilst anonymously publishing articles in regular periodicals that focused on the lives of the London poor. Before long, Manby Smith abandoned his trade to live solely by his pen. He published his unique observations of London and its oddities as successful collections, as well as an autobiographical work that focused on his struggles as a young and poor apprentice.

Genres: History, Victorian

333 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1853

Reviews

[Paul Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a bit of a struggle to get through; Manby Smith shares Dickens's weakness for using ten words where one would suffice. It conveys an interesting account of mid Victorian London which clearly had an active "unofficial" economy akin to many Indian and African cities today. As a general read it is now rather turgid and past its sell by date.

[Kent Archie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's interesting and available on Gutenberg. It is very tedious to read as the author writes a paragraph or two where a sentence would do. but it is a good reminder of how 19th century London was not a pleasant time, even if you were rich and a horrible place if you weren't rich

[Heather dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good series of testimonials involving the lower class.

[rjd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting Portrayal

As this book shows our ancestors lived in squalor. It is too easy to romanticize the England of Dickenson. This shows an uncomfortable reality.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting live account of London in the 1850's. Great tool for research.