Culture
Excavating Stories From Victorian-Era Trash Dumps
A researcher aims to uncover what nineteenth-century garbage says about historical—and contemporary—waste.
For Tom Licence, nettles mark the spot. They bristle up out of salt marshes, the clusters suggesting that treasure might be concealed below the dirt.
Licence digs at the topsoil with a spade. He reaches a layer of grainy cinders and ash, then sand or clay, serving as a sealant for what’s beneath. He pulls on thick gloves and feels around for shards of shattered glass or splintered crockery. The pit might be just a few inches below the grass, or some ten feet deep. But eventually, the ground turns up dirt-chocked objects tucked below its surface. And that’s when the real fun starts.