This illustration of a room in Miller's court..

[richardh]

Is it depicting No.19 Miller's Court - the room above No.13?
I am familiar with the illustration but I forget what room it was depicting.

[richardh]

Any ideas, Guys?

[Wickerman]

There's no way of knowing Richard.

Some time back Debs posted this picture and we discussed which room it could have been then.
The only clue, as you no doubt have seen for yourself, is the framing of the window.
You didn't give a date, but just by the signature it looks like I see a number 91?

We know from a press report that the room above Kelly's was occupied by a couple.
The objects they seem to be making looks like what was used to beat carpets, not sure what the correct name was.

[Sam Flynn]

The objects they seem to be making looks like what was used to beat carpets, not sure what the correct name was.

Somewhat prosaically, the term you're looking for is "carpet-beaters", Jon.

[Wickerman]

Imagine that....

[Joshua Rogan]

This picture was apparently published in the Illustrated London News in 1891. The article reads;
"Here is a decent old couple who make such cheap wire articles as toasting-forks, gridirons, and the like, carrying them about in the evening for sale the streets. They may bring home a shilling or two, but it is a poor livelihood; their meals are nothing but a piece of bread and some weak tea; their companion is a stray cat. It is long since either the old man or his old wife could buy any clothes, and his boots are so unsound that he has wet feet at his first step in the miry snow."

Sadly it doesn't appear to have any info on which room it shows.

[Wickerman]

Old couple?
I was thinking mid 30's or thereabouts.

Interesting to see the wooden board on the mans lap, with pegs used to form the wire around.

A wire toaster of the period.

[Sam Flynn]

Old couple?
I was thinking mid 30's or thereabouts.

I'd agree with that.

[richardh]

I only asked because I seem to recall mention that it might have been No19 (room above No13) but that couldn't be correct because of the position of the fireplace (on the left) and the bed (shown behind the man).

[Wickerman]

I remember some proposed it was Mrs Prater & Diddles, maybe with her new beau, or her husband returned?
With the fireplace at the left it would be consistent with this being the front room (over Dorset St.), which is where Prater lived.
I don't believe Prater is even listed in the 1891 census.

All that said, we don't know if this is house No.26.

[Joshua Rogan]

According to the relevant Goad map, the only cottages in Miller's Court to have a firewall are numbers 5 and 6, which would be consistent with the picture, if the fireplace is on the left (though it just looks like scribble to my eyes).
Also not inconsistent with Mrs Cox returning to no. 5 to warm her hands, if she had a fire going.

[Wickerman]

It was the corner of a rectangle (bottom left) that I initially took to be the corner of a table, but taking Richards point, possibly the corner of a hearth. A few clues would of course be the bucket, or perhaps a coal scuttle? Plus, the spot favored by almost every cat is in front of the fire.