The “Coster” No. 9 from Familiar Figures of London Series

Dublin Core

Title

The “Coster” No. 9 from Familiar Figures of London Series

Subject

The Coster
London, England city life 1890-1889
Women--clothing and dress, Victorian Period
Food Vendor,
London, England,
Animal-Drawn Cart,
Lithograph postcard

Description

1 postcard recto and verso.
A Coster on top of an animal-drawn vendor, 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

ff9_coster_recto.jpg
ff9_coster_verso.jpg

Abstract

From the Peacock "pictorette" Post Card Series, Figure 9 shows "costermongers" on an animal drawn cart, selling fruits and vegetables. During the Victorian Period, there was a great many of them, so competition was fierce, typically using chants, and other tactics to be heard.

Costermongers belonged to the lowest classes of society, but still had their own hierarchy of sorts. Costers with animal drawn carriage like in this view were considered more well off than those that sold their goods from baskets. Additionally, costers were known for their bright and colorful clothing, heavy use of slang, and negative sentiments towards police officers. The view then of Figure 11 appears to reference negative, class based attitudes towards costermongers.

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 more information on costers see: http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-cos2.htm

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

Producer

The Pictorial Stationary Co., Ltd.,

Files

ff9_coster_recto.jpg
ff9_coster_verso.jpg

Citation

Sauber, Robert (1868-1936), “The “Coster” No. 9 from Familiar Figures of London Series,” Omeka 389, accessed October 13, 2024, https://omeka.lib.jmu.edu/389/items/show/549.