Street Life in London was a 1877 book written by Adolphe Smith with photography by John Thomson.
 | |
| Authors | Adolphe Smith (words) and John Thomson (photos) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Working class Londoners |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Published | London |
| Publisher | Sampson Low |
Publication date | 1877 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
The book is considered by some to be the first example of social documentary photography.
Production
editStreet Life in London was a 1877 publication of a collaboration between the radical[1] social journalist Adolphe Smith and Scottish photographer John Thomson.[2][3] It was published by Sampson Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington, in London.[1]
The authors believed they were continuing the important work of Henry Mayhew, who published London Labour and the London Poor, but that they were adding a unique value by incorporating photography to the ongoing documentation of London's working class poor.[4]
Synopsis
edit
The book gives the reader an insight into the daily lives of working class and poor Londoners.[5] It is arranged around photographs by Thomson with accompanying text by Smith.[5] The texts are brief, but include detail, including information from interviewing the photograph's subjects.[1] Subjects include flower-sellers, chimney-sweeps, shoe-blacks, chair-caners, musicians, dustmen and locksmiths.[1]
Reception
editStreet Life in London is considered the first[6] or at least one of the earliest examples of social documentary photography.[2] The book described its aim "to bring before the public some account of the present condition of the London street folk, and to supply a series of faithful pictures of the people themselves."[2]
Author Emily Kathryn Morgan published Street Life in London: Context and Commentary in 2014 which addresses both the successes and failures of the original book.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Street Life in London | LSE Digital Library". digital.library.lse.ac.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
- ^ a b c "Street Life in London in 1877 - in pictures". The Guardian. 2013-11-04. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
- ^ Light, Alison (2020-07-02). "The general tone is purple". London Review of Books. Vol. 42, no. 13. ISSN 0260-9592. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
- ^ Ghosh, Tanushree. “GIFTING PAIN: THE PLEASURES OF LIBERAL GUILT IN ‘LONDON, A PILGRIMAGE’ AND ‘STREET LIFE IN LONDON.’” Victorian Literature and Culture, vol. 41, no. 1, 2013, pp. 91–123. JSTOR, JSTOR 24575674. Accessed 20 Nov. 2022.
- ^ a b Angela Vanhaelen (2002) Street life in London and the organization of labour, History of Photography, 26:3, 191-204, doi:10.1080/03087298.2002.10443529
- ^ Davies, Philip (2022-10-21). "In pictures: the lost neighbourhoods of London, from 1860 to 1920". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
- ^ FREESTON, J. Street Life in London. History Today, [s. l.], v. 65, n. 4, p. 59, 2015. Disponível em: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=102097455&site=eds-live&scope=site . Acesso em: 20 nov. 2022.