Nopestalgia scene notes · 1888
What's wrong in 1888? A Victorian London street
It is 1888 in London, the capital of the largest empire in the world. Gentlemen in top hats and frock coats stroll past ladies in bustle dresses with parasols, a flower seller sits by the railings with her basket, a horse-drawn cab clatters over the cobbles, and a double-decker horse bus carries passengers on its open top deck. In the distance rises the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster.
Late Victorian London had more than five million people. The streets were full of horses, and the city depended on them: horse-drawn buses and cabs were the main public transport above ground, while the Underground's first lines ran on steam. Electric trams and motor buses were still a few years away.
What belongs in 1888
Every Nopestalgia scene gets a period check before it goes live. Here's what's in this one, and why it fits the year:
- The clock tower. The tower that holds Big Ben was finished in 1859, so it belongs on an 1888 skyline.
- Gas lamps. Gas street lighting had spread across London from the 1810s onward. Electric street lighting was only just being tried.
- Horse-drawn omnibus. Double-decker horse buses were everywhere, and forward-facing 'garden seats' on the top deck became common in the 1880s.
- Bustle dresses. The large rear bustle hit its peak of fashion in the mid- to late 1880s.
- Top hats and canes. Top hats, frock coats and walking canes were standard for respectable men.
What we kept out
No motor cars or motor buses, no electric trams or overhead wires, no bicycles, no wristwatches, and no shop signs with lettering. Only one thing in the picture is allowed to be out of place.
The answer
Show the hidden modern object (spoiler)
The modern object is an electric kick scooter. Kick scooters have existed since the early 1900s, but battery-powered e-scooters only became common city transport in the 2010s.
Hint, if you just want a nudge: Not everything leaning on the lamp post is Victorian.
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