Mayhew's London

Mayhew’s London is an edited selection from Henry Mayhew’s London Labour and the London Poor, which was originally a series of newspaper articles, later published in 4 volumes.

Mayhew aimed simply to report the realities of the poor from a compassionate and practical outlook. He was succesful, and the underprivileged of London become extraordinarily and often shockingly alive. Mayhew described the lives of people from the margins of Victorian society, ranging from pickpockets to dung gatherers, and from hot eel sellers to peep show exhibitors. It is an invaluable source for anybody interested in social history, Victorian London, or Victorian street life.