London Beyond the Pale

London Beyond the Pale

Fortune Telling and assorted "Occult" Practices in London during the Victorian Era

The essay "London Beyond the Pale" lies within the book and photo journal, "Living London: Its Work and Its Play, Its Humour and Its Pathos, Its Sights and Its Scenes," which functions as something of a travel guide, attempting to capture every aspect of life in London during the late Victorian era. Part of this life was the occult underground, where fortune tellers, cheiromantists, and crystal-ball gazers, among others, made a living by revealing the unknown to rich and poor alike. The author details how the popularity of mystic arts such as cheiromancy spread across class and socioeconomic lines, with women in back rooms of slum houses telling the fortunes of working class women, as well as cheiromantists working for upper class people similar to Lady Windmere in "Lord Arthur Savile's Crime." The author even writes that there are many "thoughtful and intellectual people" who have their fortunes told regularly. This immense popularity of these psychic ventures fascinates me because, today, practices like palm-reading or fortune telling are usually seen as fake and not taken very seriously, only really being entertained as a non-serious game or practice to indulge in out of curiosity. However, the popularity of such practices speak to the love of the supernatural in the Victorian era seen through the widespread acclaim of ghost stories. Moreover, the recognition of cheiromancy as a justifiable and truthful practice at this time explains Lord Arthur's willingness to follow the fate given to him by the cheiromantist, even when it was something as drastic as killing someone else.

Sims, George R.

Nineteenth Century Collections Online: Accessed through the New York Public Library

Cassell and Company

1906

Bryn Mawr College Library

Essay contains 2 accompanying illustrations, titled, "Fortune-Telling by Cards," and "Reading a Palm."

Essay and Photo Collection