The PhotographsOf John Galt

John Galt was a missionary in London at this time.

He photographed the poverty of London to appeal for help

He had no scientific approach but his photos made a big impression

This photo shows a street at sunrise, or maybe sunset.

The costermonger’s carts seem to be what he photographed.

Being a costermonger was a poorly-paid job.

This photo may have been designed to show how many costermongers there were.

A missionary talks to some poor women.

Although Galt probably didn’t mean it, this says a lot about housing.

The windows are whitewashed because the front room was used as a bedroom.

A family making shovels.

This was probably a workshop rather than part of a house, but the same level of poverty can still be seen.

An East End street.

You can see the poor-quality clothing and the narrowness of the street, as well as the fact that there is only one street lamp.

A street in the East End.

In the middle is a pig, and at the back is another costermonger’s cart.

The man with the cart on the right is the “cat’s meat man”.

He would sell very cheap meat to families. It was usually horse meat or rejects from a butcher’s shop.

The families, not liking to admit they were so poor, would pretend that they were buying the meat “for the cat”.

FEATURES

• What features of poverty were highlighted by Galt’s photographs?