Street Life in London

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For our 50th title we've chosen to publish a brand-new edition of this innovative and hugely influential work - pioneering in so many ways: in its use of ethnological recording, of documentary photography, and as one of the most far-reaching photobooks in the medium's history. Our aim is to bring this important work to the attention of contemporary readers, photographers and researchers who may not have experienced its power, passion and commitment to change.

Street Life in London was created in 1877-78 by photographer John Thomson and radical journalist Adolphe Smith as a monthly part-work whose aim was to reveal - first-hand and in detail - the conditions of a life of poverty. It was a commercial failure and ceased publication after twelve issues. But its powerful blend of text and images, and its progressive standpoint, marked the beginning of socially conscious photography - and some would say of street photography - in the service of education, reportage and social justice.

Our newly-designed and typeset edition - aimed at contemporary readers - contains the full original text and makes available John Thomson’s rich, deep-brown images ("among the most perfect photographic reproductions ever made") in their original size, on premium 105gsm paper.

Also available: Street Life in London: Context and Commentary | A History and Handbook of Photography 

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Street Life in London

Description

Contents list
More Less

FOREWORD
Emily Kathryn Morgan, Iowa State University

PREFACE
John Thomson and Adolphe Smith

LONDON NOMADES
LONDON CABMEN
COVENT GARDEN FLOWER WOMEN
RECRUITING SARGEANTS AT WESTMINSTER
STREET FLOODS IN LAMBETH
PUBLIC DISINFECTORS
STREET DOCTORS
STREET ADVERTISING
CLAPHAM COMMON INDUSTRIES
CANEY THE CLOWN
DEALER IN FANCY-WARE
THE TEMPERANCE SWEEP
THE DRAMATIC SHOE-BLACK
TICKETS, THE CARD DEALER
THE OLD CLOTHES OF ST GILES
A CONVICTS’ HOME
THE WALL WORKER
COVENT GARDEN LABOURERS
HALFPENNY ICES
BLACK JACK
THE CHEAP FISH OF ST GILES
CAST-IRON BILLY
WORKERS ON THE SILENT HIGHWAY
THE STREET FRUIT TRADE
THE LONDON BOARDMEN
THE WATER-CART
MUSH-FAKERS AND GINGER BEER MAKERS
NOVEMBER EFFIGIES
HOOKEY ALF OF WHITECHAPEL
THE CRAWLERS
ITALIAN STREET MUSICIANS
THE STREET LOCKSMITH
THE SELLER OF SHELL-FISH
FLYING DUSTMEN
OLD FURNITURE
THE INDEPENDENT SHOE-BLACK

APPENDIX

Authors
More Less

Scottish photographer John Thomson (1837-1921) came to Street Life in London already a seasoned photographer and traveler, his life and attitudes shaped by the ten years he lived in Asia from 1862-72. His prior experiences influenced the choices he made and the opportunities he pursued after his permanent return to Britain. Street Life in London was, at least in part, the product of these experiences.

Adolphe Smith (1846-1924) was a prolific radical writer, crusader for wide-ranging reforms, supporter of women’s rights, dedicated socialist, and a participant in both the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune.

Reviews
More Less

Martin Parr & Gerry Badger, The Photobook: A History Volume 1. (London: Phaidon Press Ltd, 2004):
This book [Street Life in London] presents the first concerted body of work to deal with life on the streets of a major European or American city. Furthermore, it sets the photographs into a socially progressive, reforming context. [John Thomson’s] images are as lively as the street-trader portraits of Eugene Atget (facing similar technical problems) two decades later.

There is one image [The Crawlers] that takes us straight into the twentieth century. Street Life would be important for this image alone. As it is, in terms of the concept of the photographs, and the volume’s aims and ambitions as a book, Street Life in London is one of the most significant and far-reaching photobooks in the medium’s history.

Greg Leach, The Crawlers: The Genesis of Social Documentary Photography. (Photomonitor, September 2016):
First published in 1878, the book Street Life in London, by Scottish photographer John Thomson and writer Adolphe Smith, was reissued two years ago by MuseumsEtc Ltd in an attempt to secure its seminal place in the history of the medium, building upon its acknowledged role in the emergence of socially concerned photography. The enduring influence of the work has largely rested on one photograph, entitled The Crawlers. Why did this image emerge out of a project that so comprehensively charts the diverse activities of Victorian Londoners? Why does it retain its potency and immediacy where so many contemporaneous photographs have become relics of history? 

Data
More Less

Pages: 380
Colour illustrations: 37
Size: 203 x 127mm
Date: 2015
Edition: £45 [eBook]

Shipping Information
More Less

Photography Collection
We charge just £5 for worldwide shipping on all our printed books.

Digital Editions
Digital items are sent immediately and automatically via email with a link to download your purchase.

Taxes and customs
Please note that printed books which are shipped may incur import duty or taxes, which vary according to country, and which are payable by the receiver.

European & International orders

When ordering goods for delivery you may be subject to import duties and taxes which are levied once the goods reach the destination. Any such additional charges for customs clearance must be borne by you. We have no control over import duties and taxes and cannot predict what they may be.

Description

For our 50th title we've chosen to publish a brand-new edition of this innovative and hugely influential work - pioneering in so many ways: in its use of ethnological recording, of documentary photography, and as one of the most far-reaching photobooks in the medium's history. Our aim is to bring this important work to the attention of contemporary readers, photographers and researchers who may not have experienced its power, passion and commitment to change.

Street Life in London was created in 1877-78 by photographer John Thomson and radical journalist Adolphe Smith as a monthly part-work whose aim was to reveal - first-hand and in detail - the conditions of a life of poverty. It was a commercial failure and ceased publication after twelve issues. But its powerful blend of text and images, and its progressive standpoint, marked the beginning of socially conscious photography - and some would say of street photography - in the service of education, reportage and social justice.

Our newly-designed and typeset edition - aimed at contemporary readers - contains the full original text and makes available John Thomson’s rich, deep-brown images ("among the most perfect photographic reproductions ever made") in their original size, on premium 105gsm paper.

Also available: Street Life in London: Context and Commentary | A History and Handbook of Photography 

Contents list

FOREWORD
Emily Kathryn Morgan, Iowa State University

PREFACE
John Thomson and Adolphe Smith

LONDON NOMADES
LONDON CABMEN
COVENT GARDEN FLOWER WOMEN
RECRUITING SARGEANTS AT WESTMINSTER
STREET FLOODS IN LAMBETH
PUBLIC DISINFECTORS
STREET DOCTORS
STREET ADVERTISING
CLAPHAM COMMON INDUSTRIES
CANEY THE CLOWN
DEALER IN FANCY-WARE
THE TEMPERANCE SWEEP
THE DRAMATIC SHOE-BLACK
TICKETS, THE CARD DEALER
THE OLD CLOTHES OF ST GILES
A CONVICTS’ HOME
THE WALL WORKER
COVENT GARDEN LABOURERS
HALFPENNY ICES
BLACK JACK
THE CHEAP FISH OF ST GILES
CAST-IRON BILLY
WORKERS ON THE SILENT HIGHWAY
THE STREET FRUIT TRADE
THE LONDON BOARDMEN
THE WATER-CART
MUSH-FAKERS AND GINGER BEER MAKERS
NOVEMBER EFFIGIES
HOOKEY ALF OF WHITECHAPEL
THE CRAWLERS
ITALIAN STREET MUSICIANS
THE STREET LOCKSMITH
THE SELLER OF SHELL-FISH
FLYING DUSTMEN
OLD FURNITURE
THE INDEPENDENT SHOE-BLACK

APPENDIX

Authors

Scottish photographer John Thomson (1837-1921) came to Street Life in London already a seasoned photographer and traveler, his life and attitudes shaped by the ten years he lived in Asia from 1862-72. His prior experiences influenced the choices he made and the opportunities he pursued after his permanent return to Britain. Street Life in London was, at least in part, the product of these experiences.

Adolphe Smith (1846-1924) was a prolific radical writer, crusader for wide-ranging reforms, supporter of women’s rights, dedicated socialist, and a participant in both the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune.

Reviews

Martin Parr & Gerry Badger, The Photobook: A History Volume 1. (London: Phaidon Press Ltd, 2004):
This book [Street Life in London] presents the first concerted body of work to deal with life on the streets of a major European or American city. Furthermore, it sets the photographs into a socially progressive, reforming context. [John Thomson’s] images are as lively as the street-trader portraits of Eugene Atget (facing similar technical problems) two decades later.

There is one image [The Crawlers] that takes us straight into the twentieth century. Street Life would be important for this image alone. As it is, in terms of the concept of the photographs, and the volume’s aims and ambitions as a book, Street Life in London is one of the most significant and far-reaching photobooks in the medium’s history.

Greg Leach, The Crawlers: The Genesis of Social Documentary Photography. (Photomonitor, September 2016):
First published in 1878, the book Street Life in London, by Scottish photographer John Thomson and writer Adolphe Smith, was reissued two years ago by MuseumsEtc Ltd in an attempt to secure its seminal place in the history of the medium, building upon its acknowledged role in the emergence of socially concerned photography. The enduring influence of the work has largely rested on one photograph, entitled The Crawlers. Why did this image emerge out of a project that so comprehensively charts the diverse activities of Victorian Londoners? Why does it retain its potency and immediacy where so many contemporaneous photographs have become relics of history? 

Data

Pages: 380
Colour illustrations: 37
Size: 203 x 127mm
Date: 2015
Edition: £45 [eBook]

Shipping Information

Photography Collection
We charge just £5 for worldwide shipping on all our printed books.

Digital Editions
Digital items are sent immediately and automatically via email with a link to download your purchase.

Taxes and customs
Please note that printed books which are shipped may incur import duty or taxes, which vary according to country, and which are payable by the receiver.

European & International orders

When ordering goods for delivery you may be subject to import duties and taxes which are levied once the goods reach the destination. Any such additional charges for customs clearance must be borne by you. We have no control over import duties and taxes and cannot predict what they may be.

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