Shop Keeper Collection

Hong Kong street scene, 1890s C016 / 4499
Hong Kong street scene. Pedestrians, carts, rickshaws and signs in both Chinese script and English on a hill street in Hong Kong in the 1890s. At the time, this area was a British colony

Iranian Postman
An Iranian postman in western uniform delivers mail to a shopkeeper in traditional costume. Date: circa 1900

Customs / Halloween
A Hallowe en Witch offers suitable costume, a shopkeeper provides appropriate eats

Poster advertising Melox dog food, showing a policeman and a shop keeper chasing a dog which has stolen a packet of delicious Melox food. 20th century

The Provision Shop. A General Grocers store selling rabbits, turkeys, chops, butter and tinned foods

Ww1 / 1915 / German Optimism
The German people favours OPTIMISMUS rather than PESSIMISMUS [though isn t it ironic that the sign should be rose-tinted spectacles ?]

Butcher's shop, Mayfair, London (b/w photo)
8676253 Butcher's shop, Mayfair, London (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Butcher's shop, Mayfair, London)

The Yellow Book advertisement 1894 (print)
6266144 The Yellow Book advertisement 1894 (print); (add.info.: An advertisement for volume I of The Yellow Book, which was published on April 15, 1894)

The Last Price, 1895 (oil on canvas)
XOS5865286 The Last Price, 1895 (oil on canvas) by Arter, John Charles (1860-1923); 79x56 cm; Cleveland Museum of Art, OH, USA; (add.info.: By John Charles Arter).

Mr Wiseman, The Shopkeeper (colour litho)
8628199 Mr Wiseman, The Shopkeeper (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Mr Wiseman, The Shopkeeper. He sells Andrews to you)

German shop, 1520 (woodcut)
8664081 German shop, 1520 (woodcut) by Schaufelein, Hans Leonard (c.1480-c.1539) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: German shop, 1520)

19th century post office and village shop
673387 19th century post office and village shop; (add.info.: a nineteenth century Post Office and Village shop); Universal History Archive/UIG.

Woman selecting items from the local shop, 1850
3478458 Woman selecting items from the local shop, 1850; (add.info.: Illustration of woman selecting items from the local shop for her employers. Dated 19th Century.); Universal History Archive/UIG.

Illustration of post office and village shop
673504 Illustration of post office and village shop; (add.info.: Post Office and Village shop, 19th Century); Universal History Archive/UIG.

Chinese shop (b/w photo)
8635282 Chinese shop (b/w photo) by French Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Chinese shop. Illustration from Images du Monde - Aventures de Deux Enfants)

Keeping shop (colour litho)
8652453 Keeping shop (colour litho) by Appleton, Honor Charlotte (1879-1951); Private Collection; (add.info.: Keeping shop)

Children in a toy shop (colour litho)
8635605 Children in a toy shop (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Children in a toy shop. Postcard, early 20th century.); © Look and Learn.

Crossroad of the Tison and Jean Bailleul street, 1831(w/c)
902372 Crossroad of the Tison and Jean Bailleul street, 1831(w/c) by Boys, Thomas Shotter (1803-74); 25.9x35.3 cm; Musee de la Ville de Paris, Musee Carnavalet, Paris

January Sales. A queue of anxious shoppers try to be first into the shop as the shop keeper tries to keep order. Picture location is unknown

The Cobbler, from Four and Twenty Toilers, pub. 1900 (colour lithograph). accompanies verse by E.V. Lucas (Edward Verrall Lucas) (1868 – 1938);

HOUS2A-00136
Italian vendors making pasta in Naples, 1880s. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

Tenement housing, New York City, 1912 C016 / 2550
Tenement housing, New York City, USA. This tenement block is 260 to 268 Elizabeth Street, a street in Manhattan, New York City, USA

GMED2A-00020
Street crowded with merchants in Istanbul, Turkey, 1850s. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

HOUS2A-00095
Arab bakers at their bread oven in Cairo, Egypt, 1880s. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

HOUS2A-00005
A country store in an American village, 1800s. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

HOUS2A-00034
Farm girl bringing a basket of eggs to sell to the country store, 1800s. Hand-colored halftone reproduction of a 19th-century illustration

HOUS2A-00074
Couple in a dry-goods shop in colonial America Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

Cap Vendors Shop, Canton, from China in a Series of Views by George Newenham Wright
XJF397689 Cap Vendors Shop, Canton, from China in a Series of Views by George Newenham Wright, 1843 (engraving) by Allom, Thomas (1804-72) (after); Private Collection; (add.info)

Colourmans Shop, St Martins Lane, 1829 (w / c on paper)
XCF282041 Colourmans Shop, St Martins Lane, 1829 (w/c on paper) by Scharf, George the Elder (1788-1860); Private Collection; German, out of copyright

War 1939-1940. Rationing - cutting out the coupons for sugar at the grocer s. 8 January 1940

Scene outside a souvenir shop, Yugoslavia
Scene outside a shop in a street in former Yugoslavia. The shopkeeper (on the left) has a discussion with a potential customer

Tangier Morocco Moroccan fruit & vegetable seller in stall at the covered market in the Le Grand Socco near the kasbah

K ANG-HSI (1654-1722). Emperor of China, 1661-1722. Scene in Peking on the occasion of K ang Hsis arrival for the celebration of his 60th birthday

CHINATOWN, NYC, 1883. Owners and staff of a Chinese laundry pose for a strolling photographer. Line engraving, 1883, after A.B. Schults

CHINATOWN, NEW YORK CITY. Owners and staff of a Chinese laundry pose for a strolling photographer. Line engraving, 1883, after A.B. Schults

COUNTRY STORE, 1894. Townsfolk gathered around the woodstove of a country store: American engraved cartoon, 1894

COLONIAL TINWARE SHOP. A tin-ware shopkeeper and her customer: mid-18th century line engraving

Shopkeeper Oume of Sugimoto-ya. Print shows a woman seated on the floor holding a puppet portraying a woman, possibly the shopkeeper Oume of Sugimoto-ya. Date 1857

Clothing & Boot Stores, Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex
Exterior view of a Clothing and Boot Stores on the High Street in Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, with a man and two women posing outside. circa 1910

Metropolitan police officer and dog with shopkeeper
A Metropolitan police officer with his Alsatian dog chats with a shopkeeper in front of his shop. late 20th century

Grocery Shop 1932
Grocery shop, Malmo, Sweden 1932. Date: 1932

Chemist and makeup shop, Malmo 1936 Date: 1936

Lamp and Lantern Shop, Cairo, Egypt Date: circa 1910s

The Novice: Anyhow, now I know which is reverse 1927
Young lady reverses her car into the back of a shop window. Date: 1927

Grocery Store - A G Westway - Devon, selling everything and anything by the look of the window display! The proud shopkeeper stands before the shop in a spotless white apron

Returning medicine bottle at the Grocers Shop
An elderly gentleman Mr W. Hitchman delivers his bottle of medicine for collection and replacement at his local Grocers Shop

The Man of the Moment by George Ranstead
The Man of the Moment, a local grocer, is depicted wearing expensive clothes and smoking a fat cigar. Shopkeepers were often accused of profiteering during the Great War and were frequently satirised

All Professionally Made to Order for Quick Shipping

In the bustling Hong Kong street scene of the 1890s, a shopkeeper stands proudly in front of his store. The Iranian postman passes by, delivering letters and packages to various shops along the way. As Halloween approaches, customs come alive with vibrant decorations adorning every corner, including a poster advertising Melox dog food. Amidst this lively atmosphere, one particular establishment catches everyone's attention - The Provision Shop. Its shelves are filled with an array of goods from around the world, catering to diverse tastes and preferences. Little do they know that just a few years later, World War I would disrupt trade and challenge German optimism. But not everything is serious in this world; sometimes laughter fills the air as clowns playfully spank the unsuspecting shopkeeper on a Christmas card. Meanwhile, another hardworking tradesperson - The Cobbler - diligently repairs shoes in his quaint workshop depicted in a colorful lithograph from Four and Twenty Toilers published in 1900. As January arrives with its enticing sales offers, eager shoppers form long queues outside stores like never before. They anxiously await their turn to be first into the shop while hoping for great bargains and discounts that will make their day even brighter. Yet amidst all these scenes from different parts of the world - whether it be tenement housing in New York City or any other place captured by C016 / 2550 or GMDE2A-00015 photographs - there is one common thread: human connection through commerce. From Hong Kong to Iran to Germany and beyond, shopkeepers serve as pillars of society bridging gaps between cultures and communities. So next time you pass by your local store or browse online shopping platforms remember: behind every product lies a story woven together by countless individuals striving to bring joy and convenience into our lives – all thanks to dedicated shopkeepers who keep our economies thriving.