Putting People on the Page: Material Culture as a Way in to Everyday Life behind the Facades of Tallis’s London Street Views

Sir Patrick Manson at home: 21 Queen Anne Street as a hybrid space

“…As it was considered unprofessional to advertise for services, doctors relied on honorary offi ces at medical institutions to attract patients -a struggle for Manson in his fi rst years in London. While descriptions of these hybrid home/ work spaces are few and far between, both Digby 21 and Lesley Hoskins 22 observe that the appearance of gentility Unlike the modern clinical spaces in which Manson spent his time in hospital practice, his private practice was dark, exotic and fashionable. This Oriental style was likely a calculated move on Manson's part, emphasising his imperial pedigree as a physician with foreign experience.…”

“…As it was considered unprofessional to advertise for services, doctors relied on honorary offi ces at medical institutions to attract patients -a struggle for Manson in his fi rst years in London. While descriptions of these hybrid home/ work spaces are few and far between, both Digby 21 and Lesley Hoskins 22 observe that the appearance of gentility and knowledge was essential to maintaining status for physicians' private practices within their domestic space. Figure 4 shows the interior of the home consulting room of one of Manson's contemporaries in London, laryngologist Sir Morrell Mackenzie (1837-1892).…”

“…Manson's prestige as a researcher and practitioner resulted in Queen Anne Street becoming a busy social space -whether private patients, visiting dignitaries or dinner guests. Ross 1 remarked that Manson was always 'followed by a horde of admiring doctors' (p. 22).…”

“…21 The Victorian physician typically based their lucrative private practice at home, and its location, quality and appearance were central to professional reputation. 22 An analysis of Manson's home demonstrates the multifarious ways that a Victorian house could be internally divided, with social, leisure, research and work spaces separated yet coexisting within the same building.…”