In 1876, six years after the death of Charles Dickens, the streets of the English capital still looked very much like the famous author had described. Poverty, disability and filth were everywhere: people lived a precarious and marginal existence working on the streets of London. Two men became determined to document this - and the book they produced shocked a nation.
Radical journalist Adolphe Smith conducted interviews with the poor and down and outs of London. The unique selling point of this book was his collaboration with photographer John Thomson. They stunned the British middle classes and made their book - Street Life of London - an immediate best seller.
1 comment(s):
Thank you so much for sharing this -- I own the Matthew Mayhew books about the poor in London, but it has only drawings of the street people. These photographs are priceless!
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