The Shoeblack, No. 4 from Familiar Figures of London Series
Dublin Core
Title
The Shoeblack, No. 4 from Familiar Figures of London Series
Subject
Shoeblack
Male clothing in Victorian Period
Victorian Period city life,
Thames River
Street-Seller,
Child Labor in the Victorian Period
Steamboat,
Lithograph postcard
Male clothing in Victorian Period
Victorian Period city life,
Thames River
Street-Seller,
Child Labor in the Victorian Period
Steamboat,
Lithograph postcard
Description
1 postcard recto and verso.
Shoe-Black shining a Gentleman's shoe near the Thames River, London, England
Shoe-Black shining a Gentleman's shoe near the Thames River, London, England
Creator
Sauber, Robert (1868-1936)
Source
Originally created in 1898 within the “Familiar Figures of London” series of 12 lithographs prints by Robert Sauber.
Publisher
The Pictorial Stationery Co., Ltd.
Date
Published circa 1906-1909.
Format
JPEG
Language
en
Type
Still image, picture postcard with divided back, 3.5 x 5.5 in
Identifier
ff4_shoeblack_recto.jpg
ff4_shoeblack_verso.jpg
ff4_shoeblack_verso.jpg
Abstract
From the Peacock "pictorette" Post Card Series, Figure 4 features a Shoe-black blackening a gentlemen's shoes near the Thames River. Shoe blacks were children who
cleaned boots and shoes for a living.
This shoe shiner was most likely from the London Shoe-Black Brigade, which was formed in the 1850's to offer a better wage for children that were shoe-shiners. In the evenings they could attend Ragged Schools which were schools that offered free education of destitute children in 19th-century Britain. Those employed by London Shoe-Black Brigade wore colored jackets based on the location they would occupy.
cleaned boots and shoes for a living.
This shoe shiner was most likely from the London Shoe-Black Brigade, which was formed in the 1850's to offer a better wage for children that were shoe-shiners. In the evenings they could attend Ragged Schools which were schools that offered free education of destitute children in 19th-century Britain. Those employed by London Shoe-Black Brigade wore colored jackets based on the location they would occupy.
References
For more examples of this series see: http://www.mystudios.com/artgallery/R/Robert-Sauber/The-Newsboy,-No.10-from-Familiar-Figures-of-London,-c.1901.html
and: http://www.lookandlearn.com/history-images/XD141009/The-Soldier?img=1&search=Robert+Sauber+%28after%29&bool=phrase
For information on shoeblacks see: http://www.victorianlondon.org/publications4/peopled-01.htm
and: http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/files/3213/7036/0863/WhatwaslifeforchildreninVictorianLondon.pdf
and: http://www.lookandlearn.com/history-images/XD141009/The-Soldier?img=1&search=Robert+Sauber+%28after%29&bool=phrase
For information on shoeblacks see: http://www.victorianlondon.org/publications4/peopled-01.htm
and: http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/files/3213/7036/0863/WhatwaslifeforchildreninVictorianLondon.pdf
Provenance
Original Collection passed from Gertrude Kinnear to her sister Luree Jobe to her daughter Eleanor Jobe, who left it to her niece Elizabeth A. Mealy who left it to her granddaughter Caitlin Mealy.
Rights Holder
For rights and permissions, please contact Caitlin Mealy, catydids515@gmail.com.
Publisher Location Item Type Metadata
Location
Printed in Bavaria.
Based in London
Based in London
Producer
The Pictorial Stationery Co., Ltd.
Files
Collection
Citation
Sauber, Robert (1868-1936), “The Shoeblack, No. 4 from Familiar Figures of London Series,” Omeka 389, accessed April 26, 2024, https://omeka.lib.jmu.edu/389/items/show/539.