Street Life in London. With Permanent Photographic Illustrations Taken from Life Expressly For This Publication
John Thomson British, Scottish
Author Adolphe Smith
Not on view
First released in twelve monthly installments beginning in February 1877, Street Life in London is the among the first published collections of social documentary photographs. The book consists of thirty-six photographs by John Thomson, each accompanied by a brief essay by the writer and activist Adolphe Smith. Like the photographs, the essays are sharply drawn vignettes of "local characters" - cab drivers, flower sellers, sign painters, locksmiths, fishmongers, chimney sweeps, beggars, and street musicians - whose individual stories are meant to encapsulate the conditions of an entire class of worker or street dweller.
