Victorian Bournemouth (239) has surveyed the category and social profiles found for female drapery assistants working at Plummer, Roddis, and Tyrell during the 1890s. In most cases, the girls came from respectable backgrounds, yet proved willing to work for a living. Their social profile suited them well to assist well-heeled customers drawn by the new super-stores.
Victorian Bournemouth (238) has investigated events surrounding the bankruptcy of draper Stephen Ely. It has uncovered a web of dubious supply and financial management. The case leaves unanswered whether Ely’s involvement concerned just commercial failure or extended into the dubious practice of evading insolvency. He claimed never to have met the man to whom he transferred his assets, with the entire process carried out through the unilateral signing of documents. However, soon after, the business went up for sale at £5,000, a price well below the value of his buildings.