Nineteenth Century London: Society Life

The nineteenth century was full of both growth and despair for the city of London. It was a time when the rich became richer and the numbers of paupers, or poor people, were on the rise. Despite the multitude of poor, the lifestyle of the rich was marvelous; filled with numerous balls and parties and complete with "new technology" like the miraculous flushing toilet. Overall, life for the rich was quite comfortable.

Perhaps it was the belief of the rich known as "Self Help" that caused there to be such a large rift between the rich and the poor. The wealthy believed that people should be self-reliant and not depend on others for help. Basically, it was thought that if you were poor, it was your fault and that anyone could be successful if they worked hard enough. Poverty was also thought to be a punishment from God, so the rich interfered very little with the poor. It wasn't until the end of the nineteenth century, when people began to recognize the crisis of the poor and the horrible living conditions they had to endure, that the rich started supporting charities and helping the less fortunate with donations of both time and money.

In London, the number of servants you employed was a sign of how wealthy your family was. In order to be considered middle class, you had to have at least one servant. A middle class family would usually have a female servant, for they were cheaper and more common than male servants. The rich families in London often ordered about multitudes of servants, both male and female, who did all of the mundane chores and duties around the house, which included taking care of the children. The women were put in charge of the servants and very rarely had to do work around their own house. In London, "it was a mark of a man's success when he could provide a lifestyle that enabled his wife to stay home in leisure" (Life in . . . ). Toward the end of the nineteenth century, women also began to spend their time doing charity work and helping the poor.

Most wealthy families acquired their riches through inheritance, so it was rare for the man in the family to have a hard-working job, or any job at all. Without a job, there was plenty of leisure time which was filled with balls, parties, trips to the seaside, and plays. Being invited to balls regularly was a true sign of belonging in the upper class, for the invitations were sent to important, hand-picked people. The balls not only provided a place to socialize, but they were also a place to show of the different families' wealth. Always wanting to seem the most gracious, most beautiful, or wealthiest, "it was in the ballroom that Victorian society was on its best behavior" (Victoriana). Free time was also spent at the seaside. Only wealthy people could enjoy the ocean because the trips were very costly. Nights were also spent at home, with the family, singing around the piano.

The rich lived very comfortably. Their houses were furnished nicely with large gardens and they had servants that waited on them hand and foot. Along with an assortment of trinkets and lovely furniture, a true sign of wealth was the possession of an indoor, flushing toilet. The toilet was the latest technology and the wealthy didn't care what it took to install plumbing (often times, graves were uprooted and buildings were demolished in order to complete the plumbing). Having a flushing toilet and hot water in their house was as important as wearing the latest style dress.

The lifestyle of the rich was definitely marvelous in nineteenth century London. Balls and parties, trips to the seaside and multitudes of servants were only a few of the perks that came with being rich. In contrast to the life of the poor, the wealthy lived an amazingly comfortable life in London during the nineteenth century.