"A Slum Interior in Miller's Court"

[Bridewell]

Wireworkers

Didn't No. 12 (upstairs?) overlook Kelly's room from across the yard?
Somehow I envisaged this end unit as being where Catherine Pickell lived (in 1888), upstairs or down I'm not sure.
It does seem like Rob has the ID spot on here.

Thanks, Jon S.

Hi Jon,

Rob's surmise certainly fits with the wireworking shown in the drawing, and with the age of the people depicted. It's amazing to me that someone can identify people in a sketch by researching historical references, but I agree that, beyond any reasonable doubt, Rob has indeed identified them. Brilliant work, Rob.

Regards, Bridewell.

[Garry Wroe]

Agreed. It's just a pity that there is insufficient information to identify the room occupied by the Lancastrian wife and daughter. A shilling per night suggests that it was a lodging house. If so, it certainly looks to have been superior to those in Dorset Street and thereabouts.

[jason_c]

The window does look fairly central in the room, which does correspond to the room above Kelly's.

[Archaic]

re: The Wire Items Being Made In the Illustration

Thanks for finding this illustration Chris. And great work tracing it Rob!

I've been looking at the wire implements the couple are creating. If you look at lower left you can see a wire toasting-fork (looking like a 4-pronged trident) sticking up from the pile of goods they have made. Bread, potatoes, etc., could be toasted over a small fire or even a few hot embers using such a tool.

The man and woman are each holding a simple spiraling wire toaster. I believe it is a very simple version of "grid-iron" designed to "pinch" the piece of bread or other item being toasted so it doesn't just fall off into the fire (I'm sure we've all experienced that keen disappointment while toasting marshmallows- just as the item becomes perfectly cooked, it falls into the ashes.) I think this triple-looped variety worked by simple tension, with either the center loop or both side loops lifting up to wedge the food item between them. It might allow the user to warm a little bread & cheese, because it would allow the food item to be held horizontally over the heat source.

Well-to-do people used elegant silver toasting-forks & toasting-racks cleverly designed to hold the food securely in place. They were made with long necks and wooden handles to help avoid scorched hands. Poor people used plain wire tools, which must have led to frequent burns.

The wire-workers in the illustration are wearing no gloves, so there hands would have been raw from bending the wire. The simple utilitarian wire items shown in the illustration were probably sold very cheaply to other low-income people who lacked regular kitchen facilities for cooking their food. I wonder if Mary Kelly would have owned something like that?

Best regards,
Archaic

PS: The wire toasting-fork in the photo is available on Ebay. Most are fancier than this one, as the cheapest type were subjected to the heaviest use and fewer of them survived.

[Chris Scott]

Thanks to all for the additional details and comments
Chris

[The Grave Maurice]

What an interesting thread. My only observation is that I hope I look as good when I hit 65.

[Archaic]

Rug-Beaters

What an interesting thread. My only observation is that I hope I look as good when I hit 65.

Hi Ken. Haven't you heard? Subsisting in a hovel keeps one young.

I noticed the man looks rather sprightly, but the woman has a very tired and careworn face.
(>Insert smart-alecky comment here.<)

After looking at the illustration some more, I think they might also be making simple wire rug-beaters. Most examples have wooden handles, but I found a more primitive all-wire version. Before carpet-sweeper & vacuum cleaners, rugs had to be hung up outside while one physically beat the dust & dirt out of them. One can see why Hoovers became so popular.

Cheers,
Archaic

[Chris Scott]

One thing that interests me is that both illustrations seem to have two names attached - or at least one name and one set of initials.
Both have in the lower left corner what looks to be "W.D.A. '91"
In the lower right corner there is a signature that reads P. Something (the surname being to my eyes illegible.
The illustration of the Lancashire Family shows this (see below)
Any ideas as to why there would be two names (one presumably is the artist) and can anyone make more sense of the full name lower right?
(I have enlarged the signature)
The signature is much less visible on the Millers Court illustration but is there

[Jason]

does it say P NAHMAANS ? thats what it appears to me anyhow.....could be NAUMAANS ?

[Jason]

could this be our man ?

http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/rb/gallery/16.html

[Jason]

could this be our man ?

http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/rb/gallery/16.html

http://www.wikigallery.org/wiki/painting_154216/(after)-Wilson,-Thomas-Walter/The-Block-in-Collins-Street,-Melbourne,-from-a-sketch-by-Melton-Prior-(1845-1910),-engraved-by-P.-Naumann-for-the-Illustrated-London-News,-4th-January-1890

[Jason]

could this be our man ?

http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/rb/gallery/16.html

http://www.wikigallery.org/wiki/painting_154216/(after)-Wilson,-Thomas-Walter/The-Block-in-Collins-Street,-Melbourne,-from-a-sketch-by-Melton-Prior-(1845-1910),-engraved-by-P.-Naumann-for-the-Illustrated-London-News,-4th-January-1890

[Jason]

pretty sure this is the right guy

http://www.allposters.co.uk/gallery.asp?aid=252016255&c=c&search=88587&DestType=12&Referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Egoogle%2Eco%2Euk%2Faclk%3Fsa%3Dl%26ai%3DCStcDU7%2DjT%5F%2DBOIb8sgb964DKDMvroXfTyv6TCY7j%2DM0YEAEg7YrfBigEUPvgyt&KWID=49234050&gclid=COnYy8jF5q8CFQ0KtAodEDVn2g&KEYWORD=P+Naumann&SEM=lang%3D100%26c%3Dc%26search%3D88587%26AID%3D252016255%26KWID%3D49234050%26Keyword%3DP%2BNaumann%26gclid%3DCOnYy8jF5q8CFQ0KtAodEDVn2g

[Jason]

see ms to me that Naumann was the engraver....he had also previously done work on a Benjamin Disraeli piece.....pretty certain he is the name on here.....would he have been the artist or engraver of the printing template ? not sure how it worked back then ? the other name could have been the artist ?

[Jason]

theother writing is WOA 91....this is the West Ox Artists, part of the Oxford Arts Society.....pretty sure about this....Naumann must have been associated with them.