LONDON, ENGLAND— Street Life in London, a book by the radical socialist journalist Adolphe Smith and photographs John Thomas, captures poverty in the streets of London. Filled with thought-provoking articles and photographs, the book published in 1876-7, reveals a history that has not been at the forefront of contemporary discussions.It includes stimulating articles by Smith and Thomas’s realistic documentary images. Thomas’s photographs illuminate the lives of men and women who struggle to eke out a living on the streets of London in dirty environments.
Thomas was a talented and influential photographer that had traveled across the Far East for ten years taking photographs. His images for the books are very candid and thought-provoking. They captured disheveled and dejected Londoners, who were hanging on hope.
Smith and Thomson were not the first people to focus on poverty in the 19th century. The second half of the 19th century saw a great interest in urban poverty and the social consequences of poverty. People were not only concerned about poverty but its impact on society. However, what gave Street Life in London credence over other investigations is the authenticity of the Thomas documentary photographs and the poignant essay by Smith
Street Life in London: Poverty, Degradation, and Social Change in the 19th Century
An important project, Street Life in London was not just a study on the social implication of poverty, but also a great example of social and documentary photography. The project paved the path for other documentary photographers to follow as they address social issues through documentary photography. Jacob Riis and Lewis Hine are two of the photographers influenced by Thomas’s socially concerned documentary photography.
The Temperance Sweep on Dirty London Street
