Street Doctors

In this photo (the right picture), the man has a traveling selling table perched in the side walk of an unidentified corner of the city. The box is very clean and the advertisement is clearly labeled and explained for the buyer. The lady behind the box has a look of disgust on her face. Perhaps she is a shop keeper or disapproving neighbor, regardless she does not seem interested in the peppermints. The girl looks to be 19-21 years of age from the side view of the picture.  Her arm looks cut possibly implying that she works and gets sick or hurt often. The man in the hat looks polished and looks like a convincing business man.

The picture is black and white with elements of contrasting colors. The young girl is wearing a black dress with a simple headpiece, maybe she is a widow? The woman in the doorways is wearing a black coat over a white dress, while the man is in all black with a white button down underneath. The setting looks to be a lower-class community, perhaps not poor but most definitely not rich.  Although he appears to be wealthy or professional doctor, I do not think he is.

My reaction to the photo was fueled by my extensive knowledge of 19th century doctors from my various British Netflix Dramas. The John Tomson photo “Street Doctors” (pictured right) made me laugh. These “street doctors” are what we would refer to as street vendors (or so I think). A typical doctor would not sell ointment on the side of the street without any examination of the patients. The man in this picture does not have any identifying features or characteristics that would distinguish him as a doctor. The gentleman in this picture also seems to have a hemmed jacket and dirty shoes. Doctors would have more of a professional attire that differs from the above (right) picture. I think it is significant to think about the role of a doctor in the society. Doctor’s would make home visits to patients which required them to be both professional and discrete. The use of a table outside a home seems rather sly or slick. Possibly using modern words, promoting a scam.