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LONDON SCAVENGER
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LONDON SCAVENGER
THE LONDON SCAVENGER. Date: 1862
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Media ID 20157711
© Bubblepunk
1862 Community Mayhew Poor Poverty Refuse Scavenger Scavenging Services Shovelling Waste 1860s
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This evocative image, titled 'The London Scavenger' and dated 1862, captures the daily life of a scavenger in Victorian London. The man in the photograph, dressed in tattered clothes and wearing a tattered hat, is shown intently shoveling refuse from the streets, his back bent with the weight of the labor. The scene is set in a narrow, cobblestone alleyway, surrounded by the grimy brick walls of buildings that seem to loom ominously overhead. During the 1860s, London was a bustling metropolis with a rapidly growing population, leading to an overwhelming amount of waste and filth in the streets. Scavengers, like the man in this photograph, played a crucial role in the community by collecting and disposing of refuse. They were often the only source of waste disposal services for the poorer areas of the city, where the local authorities did not provide regular collection. The scavenging trade was a hard and often dangerous job, with long hours and little pay. Scavengers like this man would wake up early in the morning to collect the refuse from the streets before the streets were cleared for traffic. They would then sell the salvageable items they found to dealers or use them for their own needs. Despite the difficult conditions, scavenging provided a vital service to the community, helping to keep the streets clean and reducing the spread of disease. This photograph offers a glimpse into the harsh realities of life in Victorian London and the essential role that even the most overlooked members of society played in maintaining the city's infrastructure.
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