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"The Song of the Shirt" - painted by A.E. Blunden - from the Exhibition of the Society of... 1854. Creator: Unknown. "The Song of the Shirt" - painted by A.E. Blunden - from the Exhibition of the Society of... 1854. Creator: Unknown
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"The Song of the Shirt" - painted by A.E. Blunden - from the Exhibition of the Society of... 1854. Creator: Unknown. "The Song of the Shirt" - painted by A.E. Blunden - from the Exhibition of the Society of... 1854. Creator: Unknown
"The Song of the Shirt" - painted by A.E. Blunden - from the Exhibition of the Society of British Artists, 1854. Engraving from a picture by Miss Blunden, embodying in a very forcible manner the sentiment of the famous "Song of a Shirt, " exhibited in the Gallery of the Society of British Artists. The poor sempstress is seated at a garret window, and, looking out disconsolately upon the roofs of the crowded city, her hands clasped, as she sings the doleful lines:- "For only one short hour, To feel as I used to feel, Before I knew the woes of want, And the walk that costs a meal"'. The poem "The Song of the Shirt" was written by Thomas Hood in honour of Mrs. Biddell, a poor widow and seamstress who sewed trousers and shirts in her home. Desperate to feed her starving infants, she pawned the clothing she had made, acquired a debt she could not pay, and was sent to the workhouse. From "Illustrated London News", 1854
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Media ID 36229253
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Attic In Prayer Maudlin Needlewoman Poem Prayer Praying Rooftop Rooftops Sadness Seamstress Shirt Thomas Hood Tom Hood Women At Work
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The Song of the Shirt
EDITORS COMMENTS
is a poignant painting by A.E. Blunden, showcased at the Exhibition of the Society of British Artists in 1854. The image, an engraving from the original picture by Miss Blunden, powerfully conveys the sentiments of Thomas Hood's renowned poem of the same name. In the painting, a destitute seamstress is depicted seated at a garret window, her face etched with sorrow as she gazes out upon the bustling city. Her hands are clasped in despair as she sings the melancholic lines of the poem: "For only one short hour, To feel as I used to feel, Before I knew the woes of want, And the walk that costs a meal." The poem itself was penned by Thomas Hood in honor of Mrs. Biddell, a widowed seamstress who toiled in her cramped home, sewing trousers and shirts for meager wages. Overwhelmed by the struggle to feed her starving infants, she was forced to pawn the very clothing she had made, incurring a debt she could not repay. Ultimately, she was condemned to the workhouse, a fate shared by countless others in the impoverished conditions of the time. The painting and poem serve as a poignant reminder of the harsh realities faced by the working class during the mid-19th century, and the deep-rooted issues of poverty and inequality that persisted in society. The haunting image of the sempstress at her window, lost in thought and song, continues to resonate with viewers more than a century and a half after its creation.
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