London Labour and the London Poor, Vol. 2

Name: London Labour and the London Poor, Vol. 2
Author: Henry Mayhew

By Henry Mayhew

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History - British History - Modern (1750+)Sociology

About This Book

The volume presents close observational reporting and interviews with urban street workers and traders, cataloguing sellers of food, second-hand goods, live animals, mineral wares, and small manufactures, along with buyers, collectors, and informal labourers. It combines vignettes, statistics and estimates to show numbers, capital outlay, incomes and seasonal fluctuation; outlines tools, routines and family labour; and describes sanitary and service roles such as chimney-sweepers, sewer-hunters, scavengers, nightmen and crossing-sweepers. Illustrated case studies highlight daily working conditions, economic precarity, and the social mechanisms that sustain and marginalize this class within the city.

About the Author

Henry Mayhew

Henry Mayhew was a prominent English social researcher, journalist, and playwright, best known for his extensive work on the lives of the working class in Victorian London. His seminal series, "London Labour and the London Poor," published in four volumes, provides a detailed and vivid account of the struggles and conditions faced by the city's laborers. Mayhew's writing is characterized by its empathetic portrayal of the poor and its commitment to social reform. In addition to his investigative journalism, he authored the novel "1851; Or, The Adventures of Mr. and Mrs. Sandboys and Family," which reflects the excitement and challenges of the Great Exhibition era. His contributions have left a lasting impact on social literature and the understanding of urban life in the 19th century.