Albinism in XIX century Britain

[kaitoux]

Hello.

I'm writing a story set in Glasgow during the 1890s and I plan to have an albino character there; he was supposed to work as a valet to a known gentleman.

What I'm curious about, just how normal of a life could a person with albinism have in XIX century? I know that there was a major social stigma related to this condition and that some

Comments

[deepbluemermaid]

You'd have more luck using the standard English name for the century: "19th century" or "nineteenth century". You could also try searching for "albinos" rather than "albinism".

[kaitoux]

Thanks for the tip! :) I've got a habit of using the roman numerals, since it's default to my native language; I'll try to avoid it in future.

[curtana]

William Spooner (he of the spoonerism) was an albino, and an Oxford Don. There's a picture of him here.

[maya_blue]

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~msafier/albinism/c19albinos.html

[emily_shore]

You might want to look into the life of Robert Lowe:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lowe,_1st_Viscount_Sherbrooke

[nineveh_uk]

I'd have thought the main problem facing a man with albinism in 1890s Glasgow would be the medical issues, particularly those to do with the eyes, that are part of the condition. This isn't Leroux's Paris, and the hero isn't going to be kidnapped and sold to a travelling fair. Sunburn won't be a major issues - domestic servants work indoors, and anyway, this is the west coast of Scotland, home to pale people for a very long time. He won't get to be a footman in a household where footmen are chosen to match good looks, but otherwise he should be perfectly able to get a job. If he can't read because of his sight (though I think a valet would probably have to a bit - he will need to deal with accounts etc.) nor could a lot of the working population. He won't even look very noticably different from most of the population, especially if his hair has a little pigment (or is dirty).

[tamtrible]

I have a friend who's an albino... he can read OK, as long as his nose is practically touching the paper...

[kaitoux]

Thank you for the information! About the reading issue... While I was trying to research the subject, I stumbled upon a FAQ site - it was mentioned there that some people with albinism use a magnifying glass to read, so I thought it would be a good way for my character to deal with his sight problems. Do you think this could work?