Public Disinfectors
Series TitleStreet Life in London, part 2, March 1877
Artist
John Thomson
(Scottish, 1837 - 1921)
Date1877
MediumWoodburytype
DimensionsImage and sheet: 4 9/16 × 3 9/16 inches (11.59 × 9.05 cm)
Sheet: 10 15/16 × 8 1/2 inches (27.78 × 21.59 cm)
Sheet: 10 15/16 × 8 1/2 inches (27.78 × 21.59 cm)
Credit LineGift of the Hall Family Foundation
Object number2010.18.40.1.3
Signednone
InscribedOn sheet recto, bottom, in red type: "PUBLIC DISINFECTORS."
Markingsnone
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionImage of a bearded top-hatted man at left of frame with two men in white coats and pants pulling a 2-wheeled cart.Gallery LabelConsidered one of the first uses of documentary photography to bring attention to social concerns, the book Street Life in London (1876–1877) includes photographs by John Thomson and text by journalist Adolphe Smith. Thomson’s portraits lent a degree of authenticity to Smith’s writing. This photograph derives from that important project.
In 1870s London, the poor and working classes often took on highly undesirable jobs to eke out a living on the streets. Public disinfectors, pictured here, performed an important, if dangerous, duty in a city plagued by poverty, disease, and unsanitary living conditions. These men hauled a cart throughout the city to “clear out fever dens” by removing contaminated belongings.
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