Lives of Famous London Beggars / With Forty Portraits of the Most Remarkable.

Name: Lives of Famous London Beggars / With Forty Portraits of the Most Remarkable.
Author: John Thomas Smith

By John Thomas Smith

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History - British

About This Book

The work collects life sketches and drawn portraits of notable London beggars, pairing short biographies and observations of their habits with engraved likenesses. It situates these individuals within a broader history of mendicity, recounting common deceptions, legal responses, and social attitudes toward vagrancy, while noting how artists and sculptors have long used such figures as models. The text mixes anecdote, social commentary, and visual documentation to present portraits of urban poverty and the customs, artifices, and personal details of mendicants encountered by the author.

About the Author

John Thomas Smith

John Thomas Smith was an English author and illustrator known for his vivid depictions of London life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His notable works include "A Book for a Rainy Day; or, Recollections of the Events of the Years 1766-1833," which offers a personal narrative interwoven with historical events. Smith also contributed to the cultural understanding of urban society through his illustrated accounts in "Lives of Famous London Beggars" and "The Cries of London," where he captured the essence of itinerant traders and the vibrant street life of his time. His writings provide valuable insights into the social fabric of London during a transformative period.