Squalid Collection

Poor children in an attic (engraving)
3101267 Poor children in an attic (engraving) by Bernard, Frederick L. (1846-1896); Private Collection; (add.info.: Poor children in an attic)

A Fish Auction in Columbia Market
In 1869 Baroness Burdett-Coutts paid for the building of the great Columbia Market (for fish) between Hackney and Bethnal Green Roads on the site of Nova Scotia Gardens

London slums, Seven Dials, c. 1872 (engraving)
3245501 London slums, Seven Dials, c.1872 (engraving) by British School, (19th century); Private Collection; Peter Newark Pictures

A Cottage Interior, 19th century (oil on canvas)
6199643 A Cottage Interior, 19th century (oil on canvas) by Cassie, James (1819-79); 31.8x44.5 cm; The McManus, Dundee, UK; (add.info.: Orchar Collection); Dundee Art Galleries and Museums; Scottish

A woman recluse with many cats (colour litho)
2782372 A woman recluse with many cats (colour litho) by French School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: A woman recluse with many cats. La Recluse Aux Chats)

The misers treasure (colour litho)
3096981 The misers treasure (colour litho) by French School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The misers treasure. Le Tresor De L Avare)

The "watery nest"(engraving)
3101282 The " watery nest" (engraving) by Bernard, Frederick L. (1846-1896); Private Collection; (add.info.: The " watery nest")

A domestic tragedy (engraving)
3101277 A domestic tragedy (engraving) by Bernard, Frederick L. (1846-1896); Private Collection; (add.info.: A domestic tragedy.Illustration for How The Poor Live by George R Sims with illustrations)

Title page of How The Poor Live by George R Sims (engraving)
3101222 Title page of How The Poor Live by George R Sims (engraving) by Bernard, Frederick L. (1846-1896); Private Collection; (add.info)

Bed curtains!, 1915 (colour litho)
465501 Bed curtains!, 1915 (colour litho) by Rackham, Arthur (1867-1939); 15x11 cm; Free Library of Philadelphia; (add.info)

Peasant Family, 1647 (etching)
874735 Peasant Family, 1647 (etching) by Ostade, Adriaen Jansz. van (1610-85); 17.62 x15.56 cm; San Diego Museum of Art, USA; eSan Diego Museum of Art; Gift of George C

A Rakes Progress, Plate 7, 3rd State, 1735 (engraving)
1071404 A Rakes Progress, Plate 7, 3rd State, 1735 (engraving) by Hogarth, William (1697-1764); 34.3x39.4 cm; Dallas Museum of Art, Texas

71 year old Edna Clarke does her washing in the communal wash house at Great Eastern Buildings in Stepney, East London. 11th May 1976

Two and a half year old Darren Haydn plays with his wheelbarrow outside the Great Eastern Buildings in Stepney, East London. 11th May 1976

71 year old Edna Clarke does her washing in the communal wash house at Great Eastern Buildings in Stepney, East London. 11th May 1976

Two and a half year old Darren Haydn plays with his wheelbarrow outside the Great Eastern Buildings in Stepney, East London. 11th May 1976

Newport County Football Club Ground October 1970

Menacing scene in an Oxford subway

Resting (1905). Orpen, Sir William 1878-1931. The model used for Resting was one of Orpen?s favourites, a young washerwoman called Lottie Stafford who lived in a decrepit street called Paradise Walk

Mrs Fry visiting Newgate Prison, 1893
XJF2906511 Mrs Fry visiting Newgate Prison, 1893 by Ward, Henrietta Mary (1832-1924); Private Collection; (add.info.: Elizabeth Fry (nee Gurney 1780-1845)

The coal yard in Kings Arms Yard, Drury Lane, London
Concern over the outbreak of Cholera highlighted this scene at night in the coal yard of The Kings Arms Yard in Drury Lane

Woman undressing baby, Falls Road, Northern Ireland
A mother undresses her baby, in preparation for bathing it in a bowl, living in squalid conditions in a slum bedsit on the Falls Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Woman bathing baby, Falls Road, Northern Ireland
A mother dries her baby after its bath, living in squalid conditions in a slum bedsit on the Falls Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Date: 1969

Slum Housing Java 1971
Aerial view of slum housing in the centre of Java, Indonesia. Date: 1971

Elizabeth Fry and Anna Buxton visiting Newgate Prison (engraving)
XJF486326 Elizabeth Fry and Anna Buxton visiting Newgate Prison (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

Spanish Beggars from Burgos, Spain in the 19th century, 1878 (wood engraving)
KW441348 Spanish Beggars from Burgos, Spain in the 19th century, 1878 (wood engraving) by Dore, Gustave (1832-83); Private Collection; (add.info)

Title page depicting the martyrdom of children, the little Guyon, illustration
XIR384591 Title page depicting the martyrdom of children, the little Guyon, illustration from the illustrated supplement of Le Petit Journal, 4th September, 1898 (colour litho) by Meaulle, F.L

The Allied Barracks at Scutari, Crimean War, 1854
Illustration showing the Barracks for Allied troops at Scutari, Turkey, 1854. Although the barracks look substantial and well built from the outside, the interior was infested with rats and fleas

Belfast Slum Bedsit
This poor mother dries her screaming baby after its bath, living in squalid conditions in a slum bedsit on the Falls Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Date: 1960s

Social / Liverpool Slum
A family in a slum house in Liverpool Date: 1960

Military tailor and in family in Bethnal Green
This is a room occupied by a military tailor and his family at No. 10 Hollybush Place in Bethnal Green in the East End of London

Squalid interior of a London lodging house
The squalid interior of a decrepit London lodging house revealed by torchlight. People lie sleeping on the floor with minimal bedclothes while a man shines a torch light on someones face

A disgustingly dirty bathroom in an abandoned council house in Carlisle Cumbria UK
Ashley Cooper / SpecialistStock

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In a world filled with beauty and prosperity, there exists a darker side that is often hidden from view. These captivating images offer glimpses into the squalid conditions endured by various individuals throughout history. Step into the chaotic scene of a Fish Auction in Columbia Market, where the stench of fish permeates the air as desperate vendors vie for meager profits. The hustle and bustle are reminiscent of an Irish Eviction, depicted in vivid detail in Cassell's Illustrated History of England. Witness the heart-wrenching struggle faced by families forced out of their homes, left to fend for themselves on unforgiving streets. Travel back further in time to witness one of history's most infamous atrocities - The Black Hole of Calcutta. This lithograph transports us to 18th-century India, where countless souls were crammed into a suffocating space, enduring unimaginable suffering. The horrors continue as we encounter Group of Negro Men and Boys Taken out of Captured Dhow in a State of Starvation. Engraved onto paper with stark black ink, this image captures the anguish etched onto their emaciated faces - victims caught up in an unforgiving cycle perpetuated by human greed. Venturing closer to home brings us face-to-face with London slums at Seven Dials circa 1872. Engraved lines depict dilapidated buildings and destitute figures struggling against poverty's unyielding grip. A Cottage Interior offers little solace either; its worn walls bear witness to years spent battling hardship within its cramped confines. A woman recluse surrounded by many cats hints at isolation amidst filth and neglect while Victorian opium smoking dens reveal another form of escape from life's harsh realities - albeit one fraught with addiction and despair.