London was not simply the center of Britain's government and the home of a large percentage of its population; it was also the center of Victorian Britain's business world. Here were shops and stores of every size and description, from tiny corner shops to world-renowned stores like Jamrachs (where, if your tastes and pocket-book were so inclined, you could buy anything from raw diamonds to live tigers). London was also the home of an array of literary, scientific, educational and charitable institutions, many of which still exist today. Here's a look at some of the businesses and organizations to be found in "the city."

Literary and Scientific Corporations & Institutions (in London) (Illustrated London Almanack, 1851)

The Royal Academy of Painters (Illustrated London Almanack, 1855)

The Livery Companies of London (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1878)

A look at three surviving London Guilds. "The purposes and functions of these guilds were manifold. They supported, protected, and regulated trade, preserved trade secrets, and watched over the morals and manners of the citizens of London."

The Trinity House (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1879)

The London Corporation responsible for Britain's lighthouses.

Journalistic London (Harper's Monthly, 1882A)

The Royal Academy of Music (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1886)

The Guilds of the City of London, by Norman Moore (Century Magazine, 1889A)

Jamrach's (The Strand, 1891A)

London's famed purveyor of exotic goods, especially animals from around the world.

A Description of the Offices of the Strand Magazine (The Strand, 1892B)

At the Sign of the Golden Pills: Pawnbroking Mysteries (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1894)

The Ark of the Jamrachs, by W.B. Robertson (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1895)

"It used to be said of 'Old Jamrach' that if an animal, no matter how rare, existed on this globe, he could get a specimen... Associated with the name of Jamrach are rare stories as well as rare animals."

A Day in a Doll's Hospital, by Harry How (The Strand, 1895B)

Dr. M. Marsh, M.D. ("Mender of Dolls") operated a "doll hospital" in London's Fulham Road - restoring many a beloved companion from the ravages of dogs, brothers, and other accidents.

Shopkeepers' Advertising Novelties, by James Scott (The Strand, 1895B)

London shopkeepers had many ways of getting the attention of passers-by, including plates seemingly suspended in mid-air, a "living picture" of a donkey (featuring a living donkey!), a mummified cat, a two-headed goose, and funhouse mirrors.

London's Halfpenny Papers, by Fred A.McKenzie (Windsor, 1897A)

At the Sign of the Golden Balls, by W.J. Wintle (Windsor Magazine, 1898B)

A reporter spends a day in a pawnshop to discover how it works from both sides of the counter.

"The Baltic": Its History and Work, by William C. Mackenzie (Windsor Magazine, 1900B)

A grain and shipping exchange located in the South Sea House in London.

Ladies' Tea-Shops in London, by Horace Wyndham (Lady's Realm, 1901)

See also

• Outdoor Markets & Street Vendors

• Business on the London Streets