Slum Collection

Gin Lane, 1751. Artist: William Hogarth
Gin Lane, 1751.The scene is the St Giles slums. A child falls to its death from the arms of its drunk mother who sits with ulcerated legs. A skeletal figure holds an empty glass

Dog Walking
16th January 1954: A dog walking across the slums of Manchester. Original Publication: Picture Post - 6871- The Best And Worst Of Our Cities: Manchester - pub

HOGARTH: GIN LANE. Beer Street and Gin Lane. Steel engraving, c1860, after the original by William Hogarth (1697-1764)

HOGARTH: BEER STREET. Beer Street and Gin Lane. Steel engraving, c1860, after the original by William Hogarth

Folly Ditch, Jacobs Island, (c1878). Creator: Unknown
Folly Ditch, Jacobs Island, (c1878). Jacobs Island, a notorious slum on the south bank of the River Thames in Bermondsey, London, was made famous in Charles Dickenss novel Oliver Twist

A man walking through a backstreet of the Gorbals area of Glasgow
31st January 1948: A man walking through a backstreet in the run-down Gorbals area of Glasgow. The Gorbals tenements were built quickly and cheaply in the 1840s

Street in Wapping, East End of London
A view of a narrow street in Wapping, East London. A group of children are at hand to observe the proceedings

The Gullet, Stafford Street, Birmingham
Under the Artisans and Labourers dwellings Improvement Act, 1875, slum areas like the gullet were cleared and improved. Date: 16 December 1876

Jewish Children, East End of London
A crowd of Jewish children in the East End of London

London Slums - Feathers Court, Drury Lane
Old tea chests and a cart at Feathers Court, Drury Lane - one of Londons Victorian slum areas. Date: circa 1902

HOGARTH: FOUR TIMES OF DAY. Night. Steel engraving after the original, 1738, by William Hogarth

Mint Street Workhouse, Southwark, south London
View of the entrance (right of centre) to the St Saviours Union workhouse on Mint Street, Southwark, south London. Passers-by include a man carrying a small child

Liverpool Slum 1912
Liverpool : a sunless court, finally closed in 1912 by the Health Committee of Liverpool City Council

The Devils Acre - Westminster, 1872. Creator: Gustave Doré
The Devils Acre-Westminster, 1872. Devils Acre, a Victorian slum near Westminster Abbey had a high rate of mortality from diseases such as typhoid. From, " LONDON

HOGARTH: FOUR TIMES OF DAY. Noon. Steel engraving after the etching and engraving, 1738, by William Hogarth

Victorian London - A shady place
Vintage engraving showing a scene from 19th Century London England. A dark alley in Whitechapel circa 1870

Street urchins in Lambeth (b / w photo)
STC244751 Street urchins in Lambeth (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (19th century); Private Collection; The Stapleton Collection; English, out of copyright

Gin Lane, February 1, 1751. Creator: William Hogarth
Gin Lane, February 1, 1751

William Hogarth Gin Lane
Vintage engraving of showing a scene from William Hogarths Beer Street and Gin Lane. They depict the evils of the consumption of gin as a contrast to the merits of drinking beer

London Slums (b / w photo)
XJF157132 London Slums (b/w photo) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; English, out of copyright

London Slums, The Boys (b / w photo)
XJF157130 London Slums, The Boys (b/w photo) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; English, out of copyright

SCOTLAND: GLASGOW. Old houses at the corner of George Street and High Street. Photograph, late 19th century

LONDON SLUM, c1890. A slum in London, south of the River Thames. Photograph, c1890

Hoxton Slums
Slum housing in Shaftesbury Street, Hoxton in the East End of London, 5th October 1946. Original publication: Picture Post - 4224 - All In A Hoxton Garden - pub

DORÉ: LONDON, 1872. Houndsditch. Wood engraving after Gustave Dor

Devonshire Place, Lisson Grove, London
Devonshire Place (or perhaps Devonshire Place Mews), Lisson Grove, near Paddington, London. A crowd - mostly children with a few adults - has gathered. Someone holds a placard aloft

Housing slums in the Dalmarnock district of Glasgow the deralict tenament housing with its windows broken a load of washing is hung out to dry October 1963

Old abandoned shack by Mersey
Collapsing shelter on pier by the side of the Mersey in Liverpool at sunset

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND: SLUM. A close (alley) off High Street photographed in 1868 by Thomas Annan

Tenements In New York City
Photograph shows laundry drying on clotheslines in the backyards of New York City tenement slums, circa 1900. (Photo by FPG/Getty Images)

An old man watches on as a shack in Kingsdown is demolished. 1936

Shanty town, Nigeria
Shanty town. Photographed on the outskirts of Port Harcourt, in Rivers State, Nigeria

London Terraced Housing
A row of Victorian terraced houses in an East London street, due for demolition

Liverpool housewives seen here gossiping in the street. Women holding parcel June 1962

London Slums, c. 1900 (b / w photo)
XJF294006 London Slums, c.1900 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; English, out of copyright

Wild Court, off Great Wild Street, Drury Lane, 1855 (engraving)
XJF2920758 Wild Court, off Great Wild Street, Drury Lane, 1855 (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

Aylesbury Place, Clerkenwell, 1899 by H. W. Fincham (b / w photo)
XJF2920753 Aylesbury Place, Clerkenwell, 1899 by H.W. Fincham (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Aylesbury Place, built in the 1820s)

London Slums, Twine Court (b / w photo)
XJF157135 London Slums, Twine Court (b/w photo) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; English, out of copyright

Paris Slum Scene
A Paris slum : general aspect of the rue Delambre, with home industries, laundry and other occupations in progress

Charles Dickens Sketches by Boz He raised his manacled hands
Vintage engraving from Charles Dickens Sketches by Boz. He raised his manacled hands in a threatening attitude, fixed his eyes on his shrinking parent, and slowly left the room

Pitmen encamped - evicted coal miner and his dwelling
A miner on strike sits despondently outside his makeshift home, his crutch and dog at his side. Due to lengthy strike action resulting from a wage dispute

Collapsed house in Swedenborg Square, Stepney
Gazing at the ruins of their home, which collapsed soon after they fled - tenants of a house in Stepney. The house was typical of much of old housing in London

ROW HOUSES, 1938. Women and children in front of a row of low-income houses in Ambridge, Pennsylvania. Photograph by Arthur Rothstein, July 1938

Pennyfields
circa 1925: A street in the slum area of Pennyfields, Limehouse, London. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

Inside a tent on Mitcham Common, the home to two men, their wives, and fourteen children of various ages. Mr. George Smith, social reformer of Coalville, Leicester

CINCINNATI: HOUSES, 1935. A row of low-income houses with outhouses facing railroad tracks, Cincinnati, Ohio. Photograph by Carl Mydans in December 1935

A Fish Auction in Columbia Market
In 1869 Baroness Burdett-Coutts paid for the building of the great Columbia Market (for fish) between Hackney and Bethnal Green Roads on the site of Nova Scotia Gardens

New Tower Blocks Go Up
A striking impression of modern flats being constructed on a slum clearance site, the Woodside Development Plan, in Sheffield

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"Exploring the Dark Underbelly: A Glimpse into the Slums of History" Step back in time and witness the haunting realities life through powerful artworks and photographs. From William Hogarth's iconic depictions of Gin Lane and Beer Street, to the eerie images of Folly Ditch, Jacobs Island, Victorian London reveals its shady underbelly. In these forgotten corners, poverty thrived amidst dilapidated buildings and narrow alleyways. The man walking through a backstreet in Glasgow's Gorbals area is a mere silhouette against destitution. Meanwhile, Liverpool's slums in 1912 paint a grim picture of cramped living conditions and despair. Feathers Court in Drury Lane stands as a testament to London's squalid past. Its inhabitants endured unimaginable hardships while trying to survive each day. Similarly, Stafford Street's infamous Gullet in Birmingham was notorious for its dire living conditions that plagued its residents. William Hogarth's Four Times of Day series takes us on an atmospheric journey through different times, with Night revealing the hidden struggles within society’s shadows. Even children were not spared from this harsh reality; Jewish children huddled together in East End London seeking solace amidst their impoverished surroundings. The Mint Street Workhouse looms ominously over Southwark—a symbol of institutionalized poverty where individuals sought refuge but often found themselves trapped within its walls. These glimpses into history remind us that behind grand architecture and bustling streets lies another world—one filled with struggle, resilience, and inequality. Let us remember those who lived within these slums as we strive for a more just future where no one is left behind.