Filth Collection

17th century city scene. A man carries a woman pedestrian on his back through a flooded road
1000922 17th century city scene. A man carries a woman pedestrian on his back through a flooded road. From Illustrierte Sittengeschichte vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart by Eduard Fuchs

Zabbaleen of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt - 11
Zabbaleen of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt. A view of some of the makeshift buildings that have grown among the rubbish tips. This is where the better off Zabballeen people live circa 1995

South East Asia, Thailand, Asian water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) wallowing in mud

Dirty Father Thames 1848
Dirty Father Thames stands in the river water hooking detritus and rubbish that's floating there: old shoes and boots, dead fish, bottles, dead mice and rats

Cartoon depicting the Thames and the Lea Rivers being attacked because of their filthy condition
5308613 Cartoon depicting the Thames and the Lea Rivers being attacked because of their filthy condition by Furniss, Harry (1854-1925); (add.info)

Tlazolteotl, goddess of spiritual uncleanliness and guilty pleasures (ceramic)
JPC217589 Tlazolteotl, goddess of spiritual uncleanliness and guilty pleasures (ceramic) by Veracruz (AD 600-900); Museo Antropologico de Xalapa, Veracruz

Chestnut Seller, (etching and aquatint, printed in colours)
1195020 Chestnut Seller, (etching and aquatint, printed in colours) by Icart, Louis (1888-1950); 47x35 cm; Private Collection; Photo © Christies Images

Izba in Domovichi, 1925 (pastel on paper)
1195746 Izba in Domovichi, 1925 (pastel on paper) by Chekhonin, Sergei Vasil evich (1878-1936); 37.5x43.5 cm; Private Collection; Photo eChristies Images; Russian, out of copyright

Tramp at Night; Un Vagabond de nuit, (oil on panel)
1197478 Tramp at Night; Un Vagabond de nuit, (oil on panel) by Munkacsy, Mihaly (1844-1900); 82.9x65.7 cm; Private Collection; Photo eChristies Images; Hungarian, out of copyright

The Diversion, (oil on canvas)
651465 The Diversion, (oil on canvas) by Chocarne-Moreau, Paul Charles (1855-1931); 54.6x65.4 cm; Private Collection; (add.info.: The Diversion. Paul Charles Chocarne-Moreau (1855-1931)

In Darkest New York, Midnight in a Cheap Underground Lodging Cellar, "three cents a spot"(litho)
6022052 In Darkest New York, Midnight in a Cheap Underground Lodging Cellar, " three cents a spot" (litho) by American School

Henry Hastings, Nightman, trade card (engraving)
610446 Henry Hastings, Nightman, trade card (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Henry Hastings, Nightman)

Pick a Hand, 1889 (oil on canvas)
822672 Pick a Hand, 1889 (oil on canvas) by Witkowski, Karl (1860-1910); 66.2x50.9 cm; Private Collection; (add.info.: Pick a Hand. Karl Witkowski (1860-1910). Oil on canvas. Signed and dated 1889

"The man with the muck-rake"from The Pilgrim
5615817 " The man with the muck-rake" from The Pilgrims Progress From This World, To That Which Is To Come by John Bunyan (1628-1688) Illustration by Byam Shaw (1872-1919)

Crossing the Gutter after a Thunderstorm; from Garnier (engraving)
725425 Crossing the Gutter after a Thunderstorm; from Garnier (engraving) by French School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Crossing the Gutter after a Thunderstorm; from Garnier)

"The Man with the Muckrake"from The Pilgrim
5615843 " The Man with the Muckrake" from The Pilgrims Progress From This World, To That Which Is To Come by John Bunyan (1628-1688) illustration by William Strang (1859-1921)

Too Close for Comfort, 1869 (oil on canvas)
828444 Too Close for Comfort, 1869 (oil on canvas) by Barrett, Jerry (1824-1906); 47.6x37.5 cm; Private Collection; (add.info.: Too Close for Comfort. Jerry Barrett (1824-1906). Oil on canvas

Thames and his Tributary (engraving)
960712 Thames and his Tributary (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Thames and his Tributary. Cartoon from Punch)

Woman Carrying Firewood and a Pail, c. 1858-60 (oil on panel)
989580 Woman Carrying Firewood and a Pail, c.1858-60 (oil on panel) by Millet, Jean-Francois (1814-75); 39.5x30 cm; Private Collection; (add.info.: Woman Carrying Firewood and a Pail)

The Fisherman, 1890 (oil on canvas)
1769875 The Fisherman, 1890 (oil on canvas) by Richards, Frank (1881-1925); 101.6x76.2 cm; Private Collection; (add.info.: The Fisherman. Frank Richards (1863-1935). Oil on canvas. Painted in 1890

A Vegetable Market; Un Marche aux Legumes, 1874 (oil on canvas)
827102 A Vegetable Market; Un Marche aux Legumes, 1874 (oil on canvas) by Meerts, Frans (1836-96); 74.3x125.8 cm; Private Collection; (add.info.: A Vegetable Market; Un Marche aux Legumes)

Bow St, formerly known as Thieving Lane, a place of the lowest order and filth. Date: 1807

Zabbaleen of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt - 10
Zabbaleen of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt. A man catches a pig. It will be eaten. There is little time for religious niceties among the poverty and filth of the rubbish tip

Zabbaleen of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt - 8
Zabbaleen of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt. A cart pulled by two donkeys stops in the rubbish-strewn streets Date: circa 1995

Zabbaleen of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt - 9
Zabbaleen of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt. A man catches a pig by the leg. It will be eaten. There is little time for religious niceties among the poverty and filth of the rubbish tip

Zabbaleen of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt - 6
Zabbaleen children on the rubbish tips of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt. A small girl child dodges past a donkey cart in the rubbish-strewn streets Date: circa 1995

Zabbaleen of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt - 7
Zabbaleen of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt. A cart pulled by three small donkeys carries rubbish and three men from the tip Date: circa 1995

Zabbaleen of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt - 5
Zabbaleen children on the rubbish tips of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt. Three young girls sift though the smoking rubbish Date: circa 1995

Zabbaleen of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt - 2
Zabbaleen children on the rubbish tips of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt. A femae child wearing what might once have been a pretty pink dress. It is now ragged and filthy Date: circa 1995

Zabbaleen of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt - 4
Zabbaleen children on the rubbish tips of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt. A small boy carries a tin can into which he will put small metal items he finds among the rubbish Date: circa 1995

Zabbaleen of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt - 3
Zabbaleen children on the rubbish tips of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt. A small boy scrabbles in the rubbish with his bare hands. More children work behind him Date: circa 1995

Zabbaleen of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt - 1
Zabbaleen children on the rubbish tips of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt. A ragged child finds a piece of bread among the rubbish and offers it to her sister, who clings to her brother Date: circa 1995

Filthy streets, Mokattam, Cairo
The filthy street of Mokattam in the middle of the rubbish tips of Cairo, Egypt Date: circa 1995

Rubbish tip Zabbaleen children, Cairo
Zabbaleen children on the rubbish tips of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt Date: circa 1995

Rubbish tip Zabbeleen children, Cairo
Zabbaleen children on the rubbish tips of Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt Date: circa 1995

Why greedily thus bendest more on me?, c1890. Creator: Gustave Doré
" Why greedily thus bendest more on me, than on these other filthy ones, thy ken?", c1890. Dante and the Roman poet Virgil encounter Alessio Interminei of Lucca immers d in ordure

Oil Refinery

Sewer sluice gates, London, 1939. Interior of a sewer showing the sluice gates

The scrutiny, or examination of the filth, 1784. Five men, holding their noses and examining chamber pots, with devils in the background on either side. One man is vomiting

Revolte of the blind men in a hospice, France, 1904. An illustration from Le Petit Journal, 22nd May 1904

WW2 Poster -- Dysentery and Diarrhoea
Dysentery and Diarrhoea. Colour lithograph information poster, after 2nd Lt Stacey Hopper. The poster poses questions relating to the dangers and causes of disease, and provides helpful hints

The Difficult Road Crossing. A Man Carries A Woman Pedestrian On His Back Through A Flooded Road. From Illustrierte Sittengeschichte Vom Mittelalter Bis Zur Gegenwart By Eduard Fuchs, Published 1909

The Collectors Office, 1615 by Pieter Brueghel the Younger
Pieter Brueghel the Younger (1564-1636). Flemish painter. The Collectors Office, after 1615. German Historical Museum. Berlin. Germany

Adversity: Inspirational Quote and Motivational Poster
Adversity - Inspirational Quote and Motivational Poster. It reads: Extraordinary people survive under the most terrible circumstances and they become more extraordinary because of it

The London Bathing Season, filthy River Thames
The London Bathing Season cartoon. The figure of Father Thames, filthy and carrying a dead cat, a bent kettle, and other detritus from the river, beckons to a small boy on the quayside, " Come

A young, hypothetical planet around a cool star
This artists conception shows a young, hypothetical planet around a cool star. A soupy mix of potentially life-forming chemicals can be seen pooling around the base of the jagged rocks

Satirical Cartoon about the Southwark Water Company, 1832 (engraving) (b / w photo)
XJF275638 Satirical Cartoon about the Southwark Water Company, 1832 (engraving) (b/w photo) by Cruikshank, George (1792-1878); Private Collection; (add.info.: John Edwards)

Stone sculpture of Tlazolteotl at the British Museum. Huastec, Postclassical, AD 900-1521 From Mexico. Tlazolteotl, an earth goddess also associated with filth and carnal sin

All Professionally Made to Order for Quick Shipping

"Filth: A Historical Journey Through the Depths of Dirt" Step back in time to 1848, as we witness the Dirty Father Thames, a symbol of pollution and degradation. The once majestic river reduced to a cesspool. Traveling across continents, our next stop takes us to Cairo, Egypt in 1911. Here we encounter the Zabbaleen of Mokattam, resilient waste collectors who make their living amidst mountains of filth. Fast forward to 1615 and enter The Collectors Office by Pieter Brueghel the Younger. This painting offers a glimpse into society's fascination with collecting refuse during an era when cleanliness was far from commonplace. During World War II, dysentery and diarrhea were grave concerns for soldiers. A chilling poster reminds us of the perils faced on battlefields due to unsanitary conditions. Venturing further east, we find ourselves in South East Asia where an Asian water buffalo wallows contently in mud. Nature's way of finding solace amidst dirt becomes evident as this creature revels in its muddy sanctuary. Returning closer to home, a cartoon depicts the Thames and Lea Rivers under attack due to their filthy state. Satirical yet thought-provoking imagery highlights society's negligence towards environmental preservation. Intriguingly dark is Crimes and Punishments' special edition cover from March 1902 depicting a policeman striking a man with a bottle inside a police station—a stark reminder that even those meant to uphold order can succumb to filthiness within themselves. Unveiling ancient beliefs brings us face-to-face with Tlazolteotl, goddess of spiritual uncleanliness and guilty pleasures. Her ceramic form encapsulates humanity's struggle between purity and indulgence throughout history. Transitioning into artistry reveals Chestnut Seller; an etching capturing vibrant colors showcasing life amid urban grime—an ode to resilience found within everyday struggles.