Vintage illustration by Charles Whymper of a man holding a squirrel with a view to sell. It is entitled The Vendor of Squirrels from 1894.
To most of us, street vendors are an inherent aspect of Victorian Britain, familiar from Oliver Twist and My Fair Lady. But the sheer scale of the phenomenon, and many of the individual trades which were once widely practiced, are often forgotten. London’s streets in the early 19th century were ringing with the cries of thousands of itinerant traders, to an extent that startled visitors. An 1837 handbook for newcomers lamented: ‘It is impossible to get any rest in London, after five o’clock in the morning’ due to ‘the various cries, and screams, of ‘Milk below!’ ‘Sweep!’ ‘Dust-o!’’, advising readers to take ‘a dose of laudanum every night for supper!’ In cataloguing the Henry Collection, which focuses on chimney sweeps but includes many fascinating depictions of other street traders, I have come across numerous vendors specialising in surprisingly specific merchandise, including hot peas, watercress, lemons, young lambs, doormats, umbrellas, pickled cucumbers and horse meat - Natascha Allen-Smith (and it would appear squirrels)
Size: 4960px × 6676px
Location: London, England, UK
Photo credit: © steeve-x-art / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1894, archival, archives, art, artwork, atmospheric, black, bygone, character, charles, classic, costamonger, days, drawing, educational, engraved, engraving, etching, fine, graphic, heritage, historic, illustration, image, important, innovative, london, nostalgic, noteworthy, pencil, pictorial, picture, popular, poster, print, representation, retro, seller, sketch, squirrels, street, times, tradesman, vendor, vintage, white, whymper, work
