Vagrants Collection

Mount Pleasant Hotel, Kings Cross, London
The Mount Pleasant Hotel at the corner of Kings Cross Road and Calthorpe Street, Central London. The building was originally erected in 1894 as one of Londons six Rowton Houses - large

Houseless and Hungry by Luke Fildes
A study entitled Houseless and Hungry by Luke Fildes depicting homeless paupers queuing outside the casual ward of a London workhouse. A policeman stands at the left of the scene

Union Workhouse, Wokingham, Berkshire
The Wokingham Union workhouse, Berkshire. The workhouse, opened in 1850 on Barkham Road, Wokingham, later became Wokingham Hospital

West Derby Union, Liverpool - Belmont Road workhouse
The Belmont Road workhouse opened in 1890 by Liverpools West Derby Union. It catered primarily for able-bodied inmates and vagrants, providing daily out-relief in return for manual labour. Date: 1925

Labour Candidates
Labour candidates. - A postcard with a dual meaning, both a satire on potential Labour Party MPs and three down and out men all of whom are good candidates as labourers. Date: circa 1900s

Thomas Becket (c. 1118-70) washing the feet of beggars (engraving)
KW212275 Thomas Becket (c.1118-70) washing the feet of beggars (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; Ken Welsh; English, out of copyright

Vagrants asleep in Green Park, Central London
During their daytime opening hours, Londons parks provided a pleasant place for the citys tramps and vagrants to sleep. Green Park, shown here, was typical

Vagabond Family [recto], 1788. Creator: Benjamin West
Vagabond Family [recto], 1788

Scene along "Skid Row", Howard Street, San Francisco, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Scene along "Skid Row." Howard Street, San Francisco, California

VAGRANT ORPHAN 4/4
An angel comes to take the little orphan girl to heaven, to be with her mother again. Date: 1910

The Penny Sit-up, c. 1895 (b/w photo)
476227 The Penny Sit-up, c.1895 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Run by the Salvation Army this pioneering homeless shelter in Blackfriars)

Illusion (colour litho)
3097807 Illusion (colour litho) by Rabier, Benjamin (1869-1939); Private Collection; (add.info.: Illusion. Illustration for Le Pele-Mele, 29 May 1904.); © Look and Learn

Increase of Vagrancy. A. D. 1377 (colour litho)
670078 Increase of Vagrancy. A.D. 1377 (colour litho) by Moreland, Arthur (1876-1951); Private Collection; (add.info.: Increase of Vagrancy. A.D. 1377)

How Elizabeth I dealt with tramps (colour litho)
3100982 How Elizabeth I dealt with tramps (colour litho) by Hassall, John (1868-1948); Private Collection; (add.info.: How Elizabeth I dealt with tramps)

Parish Stocks (engraving)
3629803 Parish Stocks (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Parish Stocks. Illustration from The Book of Days (W R Chambers, c 1870)

Punch cartoon: Here and There, or, Emigration a Remedy (engraving)
6034621 Punch cartoon: Here and There, or, Emigration a Remedy (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Here and There, or, Emigration a Remedy)

In Search Of The Homeless, In Milan To Take Them To The New Free Dormitories (Colour Litho)
2798614 In Search Of The Homeless, In Milan To Take Them To The New Free Dormitories (Colour Litho) by Beltrame, Achille (1871-1945); Private Collection; (add.info.: In Search Of The Homeless)

Confrontation between police and vagrants in the Bois de Boulogne (colour litho)
2818657 Confrontation between police and vagrants in the Bois de Boulogne (colour litho) by Meyer, Henri (1841-99) (after); Private Collection; (add.info)

Police raiding a boarding house (colour litho)
2818663 Police raiding a boarding house (colour litho) by Meyer, Henri (1841-99) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Police raiding a boarding house in a crackdown on vagrancy in Paris)

Whipping-Post and Stool (engraving)
3629805 Whipping-Post and Stool (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Whipping-Post and Stool. Illustration from The Book of Days (W R Chambers, c 1870)

Vagrant couple with a dog (chalk and pen & ink on paper)
1449072 Vagrant couple with a dog (chalk and pen & ink on paper) by Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606-69); 16.5x14.5 cm; Private Collection; Photo eChristies Images; Dutch, out of copyright

A Serbian globe-trotter mistaken for a robber and shot by four vicious lords (colour litho)
2815473 A Serbian globe-trotter mistaken for a robber and shot by four vicious lords (colour litho) by Beltrame, Achille (1871-1945); Private Collection; (add.info)

Footsore and Weary (colour litho)
2814635 Footsore and Weary (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Footsore and Weary)

The unemployed and the workhouse (colour litho)
3094684 The unemployed and the workhouse (colour litho) by American School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The unemployed and the workhouse)

We Have Seen Better Days (colour litho)
3093954 We Have Seen Better Days (colour litho) by Hardy, Dudley (1867-1922); Private Collection; (add.info.: We Have Seen Better Days. Postcard, early 20th century.); © Look and Learn

The Bulls Eye by Dore
3780140 The Bulls Eye by Dore by Dore, Gustave (1832-83); (add.info.: The Bulls Eye, engraving by Gustave Dore. Policeman shining a light on vagrants in the streets of Dickens London)

Tramp with patches in his trousers (colour litho)
3093797 Tramp with patches in his trousers (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Tramp with patches in his trousers)

The railway driver forgotten on a wagon when a train departs, in Tuscany... (colour litho)
2815399 The railway driver forgotten on a wagon when a train departs, in Tuscany... (colour litho) by Beltrame, Achille (1871-1945); Private Collection; (add.info)

Finland Beggar (colour litho)
478409 Finland Beggar (colour litho) by Atkinson, John Augustus (1775-1831); Private Collection; The Stapleton Collection; English, out of copyright

Cartoon depicting two tramps, from the April Fools Day ( Poisson d
DGC288184 Cartoon depicting two tramps, from the April Fools Day ( Poisson d Avril ) edition of La Baionette magazine, 29 March 1917 (litho) by French School

Vagrants in the Lime-Kilns near Paris (engraving)
1589388 Vagrants in the Lime-Kilns near Paris (engraving) by Regamey, Guillaume (1837-75); Private Collection; (add.info.: Vagrants in the Lime-Kilns near Paris)

A FRENCH VAGABOND
The French chemineau tramps the roads in his sabots, answerable to no man, scornful of societys artificial ways - a free man, indeed, but gets cold and hungry in winter... Date: 1850

GOOD RESOLUTIONS
Good resolutions - a child carries food to a man and his son tramping the roads. Date: circa 1860

Two America hoboes risking life and limb
Two Hoboes risk life and limb by riding on a carriage truck in America. Date: 1893

COMMUNITY / CHARITY / HOBOE
An American Hobo Riding on the Bumpers. Date: 1894

COMMUNITY / CHARITY / HOBOES
American Hoboes Riding the Rods. Date: 1882

COMMUNITY / CHARITY / HOBOES
American Hoboes and a Railroad employee come to blows. Date: circa 1888

Strolling beggars in China knocking their heads together and on a stone in order to extort alms. Date: 1737

Strolling beggars in China with burning coals
Strolling beggars in China laying burning coals on their heads and using other austerities in order to extort alms. Date: 1752

Salvation Army Shelter, Great Peter Street, London
A large factory building on Great Peter Street, Westminster, Central London, leased by the Salvation Army for use as a night shelter. Men were allowed to sleep here on backed benches

Rowton House, Kings Cross, London
The Kings Cross Rowton House (built in 1894) at the corner of Kings Cross Road and Calthorpe Street, Central London. Rowton Houses, of which six were erected around London, were large, purpose built

Union Workhouse, Rugby, Warwickshire
The Rugby Union workhouse on Lower Hillmorton Road, Rugby, Warwickshire. The view, seen from the Guardians Board Room, shows the main workhouse building (right of centre)

Raree t Fraay Curieus De rarekiek artist interior
The Raree show ( t Fraay Curieus), De rarekiek ( t Fraay Curieus), De rarekiek (called t Fraay Curieus by the artist). In an interior

Stone-breaking cell in a workhouse
Illustration showing a workhouse stone-breaking cell. Tramps and vagrants broke stones in return for a nights accommodation Date: circa 1909

Laughing old man
A laughing old man with a wart on his nose, a fuzzy beard and blacked-out teeth. Perhaps not a real tramp, but an actor wearing makeup? Date: circa 1960s

Old man with prams and junk, Balham, SW London
An old man with a line of prams containing junk on a street in Balham, SW London. He is outside a rag and bone merchants premises where he hopes to get money in exchange for the junk

Tramp on a Balham street, SW London
A tramp sitting on a bench in a Balham street in SW London. Date: circa 1960s

Woman tramp sitting at side of road
A female tramp, her skin tanned by the outdoor life, sits by the road, her bag of possessions at her side. Although her body is well wrapped in overcoat and hat, her feet are in open sandals

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"Unseen Lives: The Plight of Vagrants in Victorian London and Beyond" Step into the shadows of history as we explore the forgotten tales of vagrants, those who wandered through life seeking solace and sustenance. From the opulent Mount Pleasant Hotel to the bustling streets of Kings Cross, London was a city teeming with contrasting realities. In Luke Fildes' poignant artwork "Houseless and Hungry, " we glimpse into the harsh existence faced by these individuals, their weary faces etched with despair. Seeking refuge from destitution, many found themselves confined within institutions like Union Workhouse in Wokingham or Industrial School in Buxton near Norwich. Across England's landscape, from Ashford to Harborne, countless industrial schools provided shelter for young souls lost amidst poverty's grip. Within these walls lay hope for a brighter future; education offered an escape from perpetual hardship. Even politics couldn't ignore this marginalized community. Labour candidates emerged as voices advocating for change and social justice on behalf of those society had cast aside. Yet still, challenges persisted. Northumberland Village Homes for Girls in Whitley Bay stood as a beacon of compassion amid turbulent times. Here orphaned girls found sanctuary and support while Maryhill's Industrial School in Glasgow echoed similar sentiments up north. History reminds us that even saints like Thomas Becket recognized their duty towards vagrants when he humbly washed their feet—an act symbolic of empathy transcending societal boundaries. Yet not all were fortunate enough to find respite within institutions or receive acts of kindness. In Green Park's slumbering corners lie silent witnesses—vagrants asleep under starlit skies—a stark reminder that some remained unseen by society's gaze. Among them stood one figure—the VAGRANT ORPHAN 4/4—whose identity remains shrouded in mystery but whose story represents countless others left adrift without guidance or care. As time marches forward, let us not forget the struggles faced by these individuals.