East End life in 1888

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A prostiture drinking in London's East End, 1888 (DCL)

By 1888, one one mile stretch of the Whitechapel Road housed no fewer than 45 gin palaces and pubs. Not really surprising, given that many people turned to drink as a release from the misery and drudge of their daily lives.

The nation's fancy for gin had first begun in the early 1700s when consumption of the distilled spirit became popular with Britain’s working classes, especially those in the capital.

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Sometime during the years after the Ripper murders, the "Saucy Jacky" postcard disappeared from the police files. It is generally believed that, like many other items related to the case, someone removed it to keep as a souvenir of this famous series of crimes. Only a facsimile version remains in the files, and the real postcard is still missing.

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East End life in 1888