Street Life in London c. 1875

Curator: This unassuming cover gives us the title page of John Thomson's project from around 1875, "Street Life in London." It's a fascinating blend of photography and social commentary. Editor: Instantly, I'm struck by the text itself. It feels very... direct. Simple, clean font, like an official document about to unveil some important truths. The title, bold as it is, makes me anticipate images both raw and revealing. Curator: Precisely. What Thomson and the journalist Adolphe Smith sought to do was document the lives of London's working class. Not in broad strokes, but in striking individual portraits. Each photograph in the series aimed to present a "type." Editor: Ah, so it’s a typological study using photography. Makes it sound like a science, rather than art, but I see the value. Did it have any impact on, you know, real life back then? Curator: It certainly garnered attention. "Street Life in London" wasn't just about photography, it was about challenging Victorian sensibilities, offering uncensored portrayals, and sparking conversations about social inequality. People discussed poverty and the marginalized in ways that photography had not allowed before. Editor: So almost like a Victorian precursor to photojournalism, or even social documentary films. Makes one think about who gets to depict whose life and for what purpose. It really pushes boundaries and provokes essential questions about representation. Even with just this title page. Curator: It certainly sets the stage for what is to come inside. Now the actual project is so important. This paper, like a call to witness, a bold declaration framed in stark typography, doesn't quite give away the vulnerability held within the street portraits themselves, the humanity, which makes viewing so memorable and lasting. Editor: Very true! It’s interesting how different media work together— in our case the text works like a curtain-raiser to these deeply felt pictures, together creating an important commentary that has rippled across generations.