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Cov. Garden Breakfast
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Cov. Garden Breakfast
At Covent Garden, a breakfast stall for the market porters and merchants - pies and oysters, coffee enjoyed beneath the flaring oil torches. Date: 1870
Mary Evans Picture Library makes available wonderful images created for people to enjoy over the centuries
Media ID 14292010
© Mary Evans Picture Library
Beneath Breakfast Coffee Covent Enjoyed Flaring Merchants Oysters Pies Porters Stall Torches
EDITORS COMMENTS
Covent Garden Breakfast: A Morning Tradition of Pies, Oysters, and Coffee for Market Porters and Merchants (Covent Garden, London, 1870) This evocative image captures the bustling atmosphere of Covent Garden Market in the late 19th century, as market porters and merchants gather for their morning meal. The scene is set beneath the flaring oil torches, casting a warm, flickering light over the crowded stall. At the heart of the image, a breakfast stall offers a tantalizing spread of pies, oysters, and steaming cups of coffee. The porters and merchants, dressed in their heavy workwear, sit on rough-hewn benches, their faces etched with the lines of hard labor. They engage in lively conversation, no doubt sharing stories of the day's business ahead. The pies, piled high on the counter, are a hearty choice for the laborers, providing much-needed energy for the long hours ahead. Oysters, a luxury food item, were a popular breakfast choice for the well-to-do and the working class alike, as they were believed to provide a quick and nutritious meal. The coffee, brewed strong and black, was a necessary pick-me-up for the early morning start. This photograph offers a glimpse into the past, providing a window into the daily lives of Covent Garden's market community. The tradition of the Covent Garden breakfast was an essential part of the market's rich history, bringing together the diverse group of people who made their livelihoods in this bustling hub of commerce and trade.
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