In terms of close reading images, there seems to be a lot to dissect when it comes to the photographs of London by John Thomson. Thomson, in his collection Street Life in London, presents images of the jobs and life seen within the streets of London and the lives that these working individuals lived during these working hours. Two images in particular stood out to me as they seemed to represent the darker side of the street life. “The London Boardmen” and “The Crawlers” both depict an unsavory image of life within the London streets when faced with old age or physical inabilities.
The image entitled “The London Boardmen” portrays an older man walking with an advertising sign both on the front of his body and the front of his hat. As a boardman, the older man is acting as a physical advertisement for whatever he is being asked to promote which gives very little compensation. Jobs such as these were left as one of the only options for making a living if a person does not have education or is not physically capable of doing much else except walking. The man within “The London Boardmen” photograph appears to be of significant age, upon inspection could be judged to be within his seventies or eighties. It stands out as significant to notices that he appears to be holding a cane in his left hand that he is using in order to walk. His entire job is to walk around as an advertisement yet he is using a cane and appears to be walking with a lean that might cause discomfort walking around the streets all day. Upon close viewing of the photograph it strikes me the sad expression that the man has on his face. He does not appear to have any enjoyment for the job that he is doing which brings a somber tone to the photograph as I would have hoped that by so late in a person’s life they would be in a place that they are happy.
The image entitled “The Crawlers” portrays an older woman sitting with a baby in her arms on what appears to be a doorstep. The quote describing the content of the image claims that the old woman in the photo was the widow of a tailor and had been living with her daughter and son-in-law but soon left to the streets after much fighting with the family leaving her penniless and in the streets. In the photo, the woman appears tired and worn out leaning her head against the stone wall. Her skirt looks worn and dirty as if she has been too long out on the street without anything. It strikes me as significant the way her body seems to be weary and frail as she leans against the wall seemingly for support as if she has been sitting there for a long period of time. The image seems to portray the impact on older women when they are left with no one to care for them and no means to care for themselves due to old age or lack of knowledge for jobs. Her face is covered in harsh lines and a frown which gives a somber tone as the woman does not appear to be happy nor have been happy in a long time.
In comparison, both “The London Boardmen” and “The Crawlers” by John Thomson depict the effects of a lack of physical ability and personal means on individuals in London once the reach the elder part of their lives. These two images show individuals in the later stages of their lives in which they are seemingly alone and forced to find their own ways to get by in any means necessary in the streets of London. The photographs should be examined together as they each have a very somber mood and force the viewer to see a darker side to the stories or images that might come to one’s mind when they think of London. For myself, personally, these images made me feel very sad for the individuals within them as the elderly where I have grown up have been retired or cared for by their families where they are not expected to continue working passed their ability or treated in an alienated manner. I believe Thomson’s images “The London Boardmen” and “The Crawlers” allow for the darker side of the London streets to be seen.
Yes, these are striking when placed together. The Boardman photograph is fascinating! He appears to be advertising a product that has something to do with gloves and fabrics (notice the glove on his hat). I wonder how reading the man’s posture and aspect alongside the image on the advertisement itself (with its upper-class man and exotic buildings) might impact your reading of this photograph.