"The city as a chaotic hive of bustle and smog'

During the 19th century, London was transformed into the world's largest city and capital of the British Empire. Its population expanded from 1 million in 1800 to 6.7 million a century later. During this period, London became a global political, financial, and trading capital, due to the invention of machinery and technology which gave rise to a factory system in the late 1700's, known as the Industrial Revolution.

 "A London fog is brown, reddish-yellow, or greenish, darkens more than a white fog, has a smoky, or sulphurous smell, is often somewhat dryer than a country fog, and produces, when thick, a choking sensation." - R Russell, London Fogs (London: 1880)

Russels use of the senses to describe the smog in London at the time gives great imagery. The alliteration on the "S" sound emphasises the smell, as if im stood on the cobble streets breathing in the intoxicating smell, weakening my lungs.