This map was created by Charles Booth's Inquiry into Life and Labour in London (1886-1903), a street by street survey of the capital to establish the social conditions of its inhabitants. This version of the map is dated 1889.
The information recorded in the maps was compiled by School Board for London visitors and the first edition was published in 1889. This edition of Labour and Life of the People, from the library at London Metropolitan Archives, dates from 1891 and records conditions across the central London area, from Highbury to Stockwell, Poplar to Kensington.
Key (using originally terminology from Booth's publication):
Black - Lowest class. Vicious, semi-criminal.
Dark Blue - Very poor casual. Chronic want.
Light Blue (hatched) - Poor. 18s. to 21s. a week for a moderate family.
Purple - Mixed. Some comfortable others poor.
Pink (hatched) - Fairly comfortable. Good ordinary earnings.
Red - Middle class. Well-to-do.
Yellow - Upper-middle and upper classes. Wealthy.
Note: The City of London was not included in the survey, apparently due to the low number of residents. In some cases colours can be difficult to distinguish, particularly where a street includes several different resident classifications.