jack the ripper

investigating the most infamous killer

Jack the Ripper

STRUCTURE

Jack the Ripper

Mental Health

Whitechapel

The Victims

Dual standard

WHO WAS JACK THE RIPPER?

• Jack the Ripper is one of history’s most infamous unidentified serial killers, active in the Whitechapel district of London in 1888

• The name is derived from a letter sent to the press, which sparked widespread media attention and public fascination

This is one of his several letters addressed to the Central News Agency of London

LETTERS

Adolf Hitler

George Chapman

John druitt

Aaron Kosminski

THE RIPPER'S VICTIMS

01MARYANNNICHOLS

02ANNIECHAPMAN

03ELIZABETHSTRIDE

The 42-year-old prostitute and mother of five children was found dead on 31st August 1888. She was the first victim of Jack the Ripper.

Annie Chapman was a 47-year-old prostitute and had to earn a living for her and her children. She was killed in the night of the 8th September.

After the marriage of the Swedish-native Elizabeth fell apart, she resorted in prostitution again. Her corps was found on 29th September 1888.

Catherine was a 46-year-old divorced woman. She died on the 30th September 1888 and has been seen talking to a man before she was found dead

04CATHERIN EDDOWES

Mary Jane was the final and youngest victim of Jack the Ripper. Her body was found inside her home, where several body partswere placed around the room.

05MARY JANE KELLY

How did he kill them?

Jack the Ripper killed his victims in a distinctive and brutal manner, characterized by swift, violent attacks, followed by gruesome mutilations. While the exact motives remain unknown, the details of the killings provide a portrait of a violent killer.

Whitechapel

How was life in the 19th century like ?

Mental health in the 19th century

• It is believed that brain damage is causing insanity, which is related to phrenology

• Between 1850 and 1880, viewpoints reverted back to mental illnesses being the result of weak family and crimes comitted by ancestors

• By 1884 neurologists and superintendents of asylums were forced into an uneasy truce resulting in medical standards for superintendents, greater control over asylums and research. Medical education began to include the study of insanity.

Titolo 2

Jack the Ripper and the dual standards of Victorian morality:

The crimes committed by the Ripper occurred during a time when Victorian society was characterized by strict moral codes and a rigid class structure, but also by significant social and economic inequality. The way in which the crimes were perceived and reported reflects the dual standards that were prevalent at the time.

• Victorian Morality and Gender Expectations

• Sympathy vs Scorn

• The Ripper and Class Disparities

• The Enduring Legacy

• The Ripper as a Symbol of Social Breakdown

Thank you for the attention!

Whitechapel offered the optimal breeding ground for crimes and poor behavior. Murder, prostitution and violence were common and vicious circles like these were rarely broken in such poor districts. The streets were unimaginably dirty and fresh food was hard to come by. Due to pollution and a poor sewage there was always a dreadful smell hanging in the air.

For women life was much harder. Due to a lack of proper work and money many women and girls were led into prostitution, which was in high demand by those wishing to escape their grim realities.