British consumers and product quality in the late nineteenth century

The quality of British goods in the late 19th century was perceived as lacking. In a context of dramatic expansion of consumer demand, the intrinsic quality of manufactures showed signs of decline. Yet, this article argues that quality is not an absolute concept and is not based solely on the assessment of material qualities intrinsic to products. Whilst complaints were registered about shoddy workmanship, counterfeiting and faulty goods, the real and perceived decline in the quality of manufactures needs be understood in the context of the changing relationship between production and consumption and the expansion of the Victorian consumer market. Drawing on the interviews conducted by the social enquirer Charles Booth and his assistants between 1887 and 1896, this article investigates what quality meant for Victorian producers, consumers and distributors and how each of them defined quality. In doing so, this article draws on the economic theory of conventions according to which quality is not absolute but is deliberated in line with the expectations and conventions existing among different market actors. The article thus analyses the reshaping of conventions of quality for manufacturers, distributors and consumers in late 19th century Britain. It then brings these different actors together in an investigation of the relationship between conventions and legislation through the specific case of trademarks and the consideration of foreign competition. The article thus concludes with a reflection on how quality can be understood only by re-connecting the realm and historiographies of production and consumption