Prints of London Labour and the London Poor

Hand Printed at St Bride Foundation

From original Wood Engravings

Mayhew's book, London Labour and the London Poor was first published in the 1840s as a series of articles in the Morning Chronicle newspaper. In 1851 these articles were collected in book form documenting the lives of working Londoners living in poverty in the middle of the nineteenth century.

The wood engravings which were commissioned for the books were by Richard Beard and most were based upon photographs made specifically for the project. Beard supervised the photography of the subjects pictured and the engravings were made from black and white photographic prints used for reference purposes.

All of the surviving wood engravings produced for Mayhew's book are now held at the St Bride Library in London. A small number (5) were used in March 2014 to produce limited editions (100 of each image) to raise money for the St Bride Foundation, a registered charity.