The image of Victorian London is a strong one. Pea soupers, Dickens and Jack the Ripper. As part of a campaign to promote a book one publisher is using Twitter to post realtime updates.
by Jamie Wolfendale
It’s been 125 years since Jack the Ripper stalked the streets of Whitechapel, but his bloody legacy still looms large. This year The History Press is proud to announce its follow-up to the award-winning 2012 Titanic Real Time campaign with another social media campaign, Whitechapel Real Time – a digital exploration of Victorian London at the time of the Jack the Ripper murders.
Join The History Press on a historical journey through London in 1888’s ‘Autumn of Terror’, where the Jack the Ripper story will be told through Twitter using real-time tweets from characters both real and fictional.
The campaign will feature tweets from the perspective of a reporter for a local newspaper, a working girl from the streets of Whitechapel, a local landlord and a Shadwell dock worker, along with several other characters in and around Whitechapel at the time of the murders. It will also feature tweets by real-life figures such as Chief Inspector Abberline, the mysterious ‘Dear Boss’ letter writer and many of the witnesses – some of whom may even have seen the killer.
The campaign will be backed up by the knowledge and opinion from some of the world’s top Ripperologists and The History Press’ authors and historians. Each stage of the campaign has been meticulously researched using The History Press’ expert resources in order to be as historically accurate as possible. Throughout the campaign The History Press will be bringing together unique content such as authentic Victorian images, weekly updates from Ripperologists and other insights into the Victorian world.
London in the Victorian era was an exciting but also very challenging period for those who lived at the time; poor sanitation, poverty and crime riddled the capital city. The History Press wants you to join them in their exploration of this fascinating society and discover more about the society you live in. Join The History Press’ Whitechapel Real Time campaign @WChapelRealTime from the 24th August 2013.
Jamie Wolfendale is marketing executive for The History Press.
