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Refuse collector at work on a Balham street, SW London
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Refuse collector at work on a Balham street, SW London
Refuse collector at work on a Balham street, SW London. He is wearing a mortar board which someone has thrown away. Date: circa 1960s
Mary Evans Picture Library makes available wonderful images created for people to enjoy over the centuries
Media ID 14223987
© The Paul Kaye Collection / Mary Evans Picture Library
Balham Binman Binmen Bins Collector Collectors Dirty Dustbin Dustbins Dustman Dustmen Missing Mortar Refuse Rolled Shirt Shirtsleeves Tooth Waistcoat
EDITORS COMMENTS
In this evocative photograph, taken in the 1960s on a quiet Balham street in South West London, we find a refuse collector at work. Dressed in a simple waistcoat and shirt, with rolled-up shirtsleeves, he wears a mortar board on his head, an unusual accessory for someone in his line of work. The mortar board, it seems, was once someone else's graduation cap, now discarded and repurposed. The scene is one of quiet industry, with the collector carefully sorting through the contents of a dustbin, separating recyclables from non-recyclables, no doubt for efficient disposal at the local dump. The dustbins, made of metal, stand proudly in front of the houses, their rusted surfaces a testament to the passage of time. Despite the grime and dirt of his job, the collector wears a smile on his face, a small reminder that even the most mundane of tasks can be approached with a sense of pride and satisfaction. The photograph captures a moment in history, a snapshot of life in the 1960s, when the world moved at a slower pace and the simple act of collecting refuse was a vital part of the community. The image is a poignant reminder of the past, a time when the role of the refuse collector was a respected and essential one, and when the humble mortar board could find a new life as a makeshift hat on the streets of Balham. The photograph is a treasure trove of historical detail, from the missing tooth of the collector to the front gates of the houses, and is a must-have for anyone interested in the social history of London in the 1960s.
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