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New Years Eve at St. Giles Workhouse
Poster Prints from Mary Evans Picture Library
New Years Eve at St. Giles Workhouse
Sketches from New Years Eve at St. Giles Workhouse where it was customary to provide entertainment to the inmates and a few visitors on the first night of the New Year. The entertainment took place in the mens day hall. A full description is given on page 36 of this issue
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Media ID 4398665
© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10221993
1884 Customary Description Giles Inmates Issue Provide Sketches Visitors Workhouse January Year
EDITORS COMMENTS
New Years Eve at St. Giles Workhouse: A Historical Glimpse into the Past (Image No. 21, Page 36, The Illustrated London News, December 7, 1884) This evocative image captures the scene at St. Giles Workhouse on New Years Eve, a time when tradition held that entertainment was provided for the inmates and a select few visitors. The festivities took place in the mens day hall, as depicted in this sketch from The Illustrated London News. The workhouse, located in the heart of London, was a place of last resort for the destitute and the unfortunate. Conditions were often harsh, with long hours of labor, meager rations, and limited opportunities for recreation. New Years Eve, however, offered a brief respite from the monotony and hardships of workhouse life. The men in this print are seen gathered around a makeshift stage, their faces illuminated by the flickering light of the gas lamps. A musician plays a fiddle, his expression focused and intense, while a man in the audience claps his hands in time with the music. Other men sit or stand, some with their arms around each other, engaged in conversation or laughter. The presence of a few visitors adds a sense of occasion to the proceedings. Dressed in their finest clothes, they mingle with the inmates, perhaps sharing in the communal spirit of the evening. The workhouse rules, which strictly limited contact between inmates and outsiders, were temporarily set aside, allowing for a rare moment of connection and camaraderie. This image offers a fascinating glimpse into the past, providing a window into the lives of the men and women who lived in the workhouses of Victorian England. It serves as a reminder of the importance of community and the power of shared experience, even in the most challenging of circumstances.
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