The Crossing Sweeper, No. 6 from Familiar Figures of London Series

The Crossing Sweeper, No. 6 from Familiar Figures of London Series

Street Sweeper
Victorian Period city life
London, England
Women clothing and dress in Victorian Period,
Trafalgar Square,
Nelson’s Column,
Picture Postcards 1900-1909
Lithograph postcard
Child Labor during the Victorian Period
Women clothing and dress in Victorian Period

1 postcard recto and verso.
Street Sweeper acknowledging a Lady near Trafalgar Square, London, England

Sauber, Robert (1868-1936)

Originally created in 1898 within the “Familiar Figures of London” series of 12 lithographs prints by Robert Sauber.

The Pictorial Stationery Co., Ltd.

Published circa 1906-1909.

JPEG

en

Still image, picture postcard with divided back, 3.5 x 5.5 in

ff6_crossing_recto.jpg
ff6_crossing_verso.jpg

From the Peacock "pictorette" Post Card Series, Figure 6 features a crossing sweeper asking for gratuity from a lady near Trafalgar Square in London, England. Street sweepers would clear a path ahead of a person in exchange for money, and were a common site in cities throughout Europe. Cities at the time were very dirty due to horse-drawn carriages and overcrowding. Typically it was a low class child, and many considered them to be a nuisance.

One account describes street sweeping as "one of those occupations resorted to as an excuse for begging" and it was punished with imprisonment (Mayhew 465).

Trafalgar Square, located in the center of the city, features Nelson's Column in the center. Four lions surround Nelson's Column. Early construction of the square began in 1840, and Nelson's Column was completed in 1867.

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 street sweepers see:
Henry Mayhew's account in his book "London Labour and the London Poor: A Cyclopædia of the Condition and Earnings of Those That Will Work, Those That Cannot Work, and Those That Will Not". Volume 2 of London Labour and the London Poor published by Cosimo Inc.

and: http://web.archive.org/web/20080321105914/http://www.leeds.gov.uk/armleymills/gallery/gallery2.html

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.

For rights and permissions, please contact Caitlin Mealy, catydids515@gmail.com.