The Diaries of Hannah Cullwick

This is one of the first books that I remember buying for myself in graduate school. Cullwick’s descriptions of her relationship with upper-class Arthur Munby (whom she eventually married) and the photographs of her dressed as a maid-of-all-work, a lady, a “slave,” an agricultural worker, and a valet highlight Victorian power negotiations and performativity.

Cullwick started working as a servant at the age of eight. From her diaries, I learned much about the daily lives of domestic servants: their relationships with employers, the different levels of service and employment networks, and the sheer amount of hard, physical labor that it… show more.

Hannah Cullwick worked all her life in domestic service, starting at the age of eight in 1841. Her diaries are unique and they were written at the behest of Arthur Munby, an upper-class author and poet, who later became her husband. In her diaries, Hannah describes her employers, the nature of her work, and how she found her different jobs through servants’ registries, personal recommendations, and newspapers. 

What’s fascinating is that the diaries are presented with Hannah’s spelling and grammar, so her voice leaps off the page. Liz Stanley, who edited Hannah’s diaries, also provides an excellent introduction to Hannah’s… show more.