Undertaker 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

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

Lord Have Mercy Upon Us : The Plague in London (woodcut) (b / w photo)
XJF180917 Lord Have Mercy Upon Us : The Plague in London (woodcut) (b/w photo) by English School, (17th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: petition to God asking to end the plague; ); English

Dickens / The Chimes
Trotty Veck - a poor ticket porter whose outlook is converted from despair to hope by the spirits of the chimes on New Years Eve

A gravedigger, 1850
3478355 A gravedigger, 1850; (add.info.: Illustration depicting a gravedigger at work. Dated 19th Century.); Universal History Archive/UIG.

Tomb in Delft upright in honour of William of Nassau, Prince of Orange
1577693 Tomb in Delft upright in honour of William of Nassau, Prince of Orange.; Universal History Archive/UIG.

Trade card for William Underhay, auctioneer, land and estate agent, London (litho)
8677604 Trade card for William Underhay, auctioneer, land and estate agent, London (litho) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Trade card for William Underhay)

An elderly gravedigger, 1850
3478262 An elderly gravedigger, 1850; (add.info.: Illustration depicting an elderly gravedigger taking a break from digging. Dated 19th Century.); Universal History Archive/UIG.

Cartoon commenting on William Banting's cure for obesity which excluded fats and carbohydrates
5308717 Cartoon commenting on William Banting's cure for obesity which excluded fats and carbohydrates; (add.info.: Cartoon commenting on William Banting's cure for obesity which excluded)

Bath time in a Nursery, 1850
3477994 Bath time in a Nursery, 1850; (add.info.: Engraving depicting a young nursemaid preparing for 'bath time' in a Nursery. Dated 19th Century.); Universal History Archive/UIG.

Embalmer's folding table for cooling bodies, dated 1861
3028409 Embalmer's folding table for cooling bodies, dated 1861; Private Collection; (add.info.: American Civil War, Embalmer's folding table for cooling bodies)

The Christmas Goblins, 1837
3478113 The Christmas Goblins, 1837; (add.info.: The Christmas Goblins by Charles Dickens 1837. Gabriel Grubb is a mean-hearted sexton (or gravedigger) who drinks and works on Christmas

Beyond the Grave
Daniel Springgay

Undertakers regaling themselves at Death's Door, Battersea Rise, Surrey -- a satirical scene in the style of Hogarth, with lines from a serious long poem, The Grave

SIERRA LEONE UNDERTAKERS
Black humour : The premises of Bungie the undertaker, Sierra Leone, Africa. He is as ready to offer good advice to the living as he is to provide for the needs of the dead! Date: 1930s

3673557

Death, Book of Hours, 15th century (manuscript)
7294909 Death, Book of Hours, 15th century (manuscript) by Martorell, Bernardo (fl.1427-52); Archivo Municipal de Historia, Barcelona, Spain; (add.info.: Martorell Bernat (1427 - 1452)); © P

Mr Sowerberry from Oliver Twist (engraving)
725646 Mr Sowerberry from Oliver Twist (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Mr Sowerberry from Oliver Twist. Dickens character)

Oliver plucks up a spirit, from The Adventures of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (1812-70) 1838
KW243061 Oliver plucks up a spirit, from The Adventures of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (1812-70) 1838, published by Chapman & Hall, 1901 (engraving) by Cruikshank

"O, nothing in life can sadden us"(engraving)
7164303 " O, nothing in life can sadden us" (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: " O)

Overtaker and Undertaker (engraving)
7164297 Overtaker and Undertaker (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Overtaker and Undertaker)

Le Vocabulaire Illustre: Fossoyeur; Grave-digger; Todtengraber (engraving)
7196046 Le Vocabulaire Illustre: Fossoyeur; Grave-digger; Todtengraber (engraving) by European School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Fossoyeur; Grave-digger; Todtengraber)

Trunk Maker, J Shepherd, trade card (engraving)
984019 Trunk Maker, J Shepherd, trade card (engraving) by English School, (18th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Trunk Maker, J Shepherd)

Vittorio Quirolo & T. Scaravaglione, undertaker & embalmer, 327 E
1078929 Vittorio Quirolo & T. Scaravaglione, undertaker & embalmer, 327 E. 111th Street (or 109th Street), New York City, October 26, 1914 (b/w photo) by Hassler

Old House, Palace Yard, Lambeth, c. 1883 (b / w photo)
JHL394926 Old House, Palace Yard, Lambeth, c.1883 (b/w photo) by Dixon, Henry (1820-92); Private Collection; (add.info.: From a series of 120 photographs by the Society for Photographing Relics of)

Grief ("Out of Darkness into Light"), c. 1871
BON63967 Grief (" Out of Darkness into Light" ), c.1871 by Israels, Jozef (Josef) (1824-1911); Private Collection; Photo eBonhams, London, UK; Dutch, out of copyright

Carabinieri who during a play of Hamlet in a Piedmont theater seize the skulls... (colour litho)
2815400 Carabinieri who during a play of Hamlet in a Piedmont theater seize the skulls... (colour litho) by Beltrame, Achille (1871-1945); Private Collection; (add.info)

Upholsterer, Robert Legg, trade card (engraving)
984025 Upholsterer, Robert Legg, trade card (engraving) by English School, (18th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Upholsterer, Robert Legg)

Parisian street characters, France (engraving)
6001358 Parisian street characters, France (engraving) by European School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Parisian street characters, France)

Cabinet Maker, James Kinlock Walker, trade card (engraving)
984056 Cabinet Maker, James Kinlock Walker, trade card (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Cabinet Maker, James Kinlock Walker)

"Undertakers regaling themselves at Deaths Door", 1801 (engraving)
2636767 " Undertakers regaling themselves at Deaths Door", 1801 (engraving) by Nixon, John (1750-1818) (after); length: 21 cm; London Metropolitan Archives

Peter Jarema, Ukrainian undertaker, 115 Avenue A, New York City, November 14
1078936 Peter Jarema, Ukrainian undertaker, 115 Avenue A, New York City, November 14, 1914 (b/w photo) by Hassler, William Davis (1877-1921); Collection of the New-York Historical Society

T Ovenden, Builder, Carpenter and Undertaker, trade card (engraving)
731559 T Ovenden, Builder, Carpenter and Undertaker, trade card (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: T Ovenden, Builder, Carpenter and Undertaker)

A Fine Vintage
BON51675 A Fine Vintage by Helmick, Howard (1845-1907); Private Collection; Photo eBonhams, London, UK; American, out of copyright

Charles Dickenss The Adventures of Oliver Twist
3756139 Charles Dickenss The Adventures of Oliver Twist. by Mahoney, James (1810-79); (add.info.: Charles Dickenss The Adventures of Oliver Twist, first Published 1838)

Undertakers, Jarvis and Son, trade card (engraving)
984022 Undertakers, Jarvis and Son, trade card (engraving) by English School, (18th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Undertakers, Jarvis and Son)

How the Influenza gave a Young Doctor a Rise in his Profession (engraving)
1047089 How the Influenza gave a Young Doctor a Rise in his Profession (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

The Company of Undertakers, March 3, 1736. Creator: William Hogarth
The Company of Undertakers, March 3, 1736

The Company of Undertakers, after 1736. Creator: William Hogarth
The Company of Undertakers, after 1736

The Company of Undertakers, ca. 1800. Creator: Dent
The Company of Undertakers, ca. 1800

The Company of Undertakers, 1736. 1736. Creator: William Hogarth
The Company of Undertakers, 1736

The Consultation, or Last Hope, June 30, 1808. June 30, 1808. Creator: Thomas Rowlandson
The Consultation, or Last Hope, June 30, 1808

Undertakers regaling themselves at Deaths Door, Battersea, London, 1801. Print depicting the undertakers eating, drinking and making merry outside Robert Deaths tavern, Battersea Rise

The Company of Undertakers, 1736. Artist: William Hogarth
The Company of Undertakers, 1736. The heads of some familiar quacks pictured within a coat of arms. The quacks depicted include: Mrs Sarah Mapp; John Taylor; and Dr Joshua Ward

Ralph John Lambton and his Horse Undertaker and Hounds, late 18th century, (1912). Artist: Charles Turner
Ralph John Lambton and his Horse Undertaker and Hounds, late 18th century, (1912). A print from The Connoisseur, (London, 1912)

London Trade Card - Henry Sidgier, Carpenter
London Trade Card - Henry Sidgier, carpenter, joiner and undertaker, near Temple Bar. 18th century

Aerial view of Broadway Street, Fresno, California, USA
Aerial view of Broadway Street (looking south), Fresno, California, USA, with Hotel Fresno on the right and the Police Headquarters on the left. Date: circa 1915

GEORGIA: UNDERTAKER, c1899. David Tobias Howard, an undertaker, his mother, and his wife in a horse-drawn carriage in Atlanta, Georgia. Photograph, c1899

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"Undertaker: A Glimpse into the Dark World of Death and Mourning" In the historical realm of art, literature, and society, the figure of the undertaker has long held a morbid fascination. From William Hogarth's haunting depiction of Gin Lane in 1751 to chilling woodcuts illustrating London's plague-ridden streets in Lord Have Mercy Upon Us, this enigmatic profession has left an indelible mark on our collective consciousness. Hogarth's iconic piece, Gin Lane, serves as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences that excessive alcohol consumption can have on society. Amidst dilapidated buildings and destitute individuals lies an undertaker's establishment - a grim symbol of death lurking amidst chaos. Fast forward to Dickens' The Chimes where we encounter undertakers regaling themselves at Death's Door. This macabre scene highlights their peculiar camaraderie amidst somber surroundings while exploring themes of mortality and redemption. The role of undertakers extends beyond artistic representations; they are integral players even in modern times. In Sierra Leone, we witness dedicated professionals known as "Sierra Leone Undertakers, " who carry out their duties with utmost respect for cultural traditions surrounding death. From funeral monuments displayed enticingly in shop windows to railway undertakings depicted humorously in cartoons, these glimpses into everyday life remind us that even amid sorrowful moments, there is room for levity and satire. Yet not all portrayals are light-hearted; some delve deeper into the darker aspects associated with this profession. Take Hogarth Harlot Plate 6 or "The Unctuous Undertaker, " which exposes corruption within funeral services through its biting social commentary. And let us not forget about those silent figures dressed head-to-toe in black - the mute attendants known as "the Undertaker's Mute. " Their presence adds an eerie ambiance to funerals while emphasizing solemnity and reverence for the deceased.