When Ladies Go A-Thieving
Book • 1989
Elaine Abelson's book examines the phenomenon of shoplifting among middle-class women in Victorian Britain and how it was framed medically and morally.
Abelson traces the emergence of kleptomania as a diagnosis alongside shifts in consumer culture and the rise of department stores.
She analyzes criminal trials, press coverage, and medical testimony to show how gendered stereotypes shaped responses to female shoplifters.
The book situates these histories within broader debates about class, femininity, and the regulation of consumer spaces.
Abelson's work illuminates how legal and medical institutions collaborated to police and explain women's deviant behavior in the nineteenth century.
Abelson traces the emergence of kleptomania as a diagnosis alongside shifts in consumer culture and the rise of department stores.
She analyzes criminal trials, press coverage, and medical testimony to show how gendered stereotypes shaped responses to female shoplifters.
The book situates these histories within broader debates about class, femininity, and the regulation of consumer spaces.
Abelson's work illuminates how legal and medical institutions collaborated to police and explain women's deviant behavior in the nineteenth century.
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Ellie Anderson
Theft
