Rarely Seen Photos Capture Victorian London In All Its Gritty Glory

From mush fakers to ginger beer makers, Victorian London’s streets hosted teeming torrents of humanity. And we’re lucky that photography was widespread back then, because now we have a fascinating window into life in 19th-century England. But it wasn’t a place for the fainthearted; prosperity brought on by the industrial age rubbed along cheek by jowl with horrifying poverty.

40. London omnibus, 1865

Despite appearances, it wasn’t compulsory to wear a top hat on a London omnibus back in 1865 – as far as we know. The horse-drawn buses really got going in the 1830s. And when the 1840s dawned, the city had an extensive network. By 1855 more than 800 of these vehicles plied their trade on the streets of the capital, transporting as many as 200,000 people each day.

39. Paddle Steamer Rose, circa 1890

Paddle steamers might well bring the Mississippi to mind but here we see the Rose sailing on the River Thames in about 1890. It’s embarked from a jetty on the Embankment that was built during the 1860s to tame the river. Earlier in the 19th century, river passengers had been transported in rowing boats known as wherries, though at the time this photo was taken paddle steamers had long since dominated.

38. Free Russian Library, circa 1901

Aleksei Teplov opened the Free Russian Library in the East End of London during 1893. He was a Russian revolutionary who’d been exiled to Siberia for his activities. Teplov eventually ended up in London in 1893 after a prison spell in France for possessing explosives. It seems that he decided to swap bombs for books and so founded this library and reading room, which was apparently frequented by an admirably studious crowd.

37. Fruit seller, 1873

A woman stands by her donkey and cart selling strawberries on a London street in 1873. Street food was commonplace in Victorian London, with vendors offering everything from coked eels to baked potatoes. Costermongers, who sold fruit, vegetables and fish, numbered as many as 30,000 in London during the 19th century. Another 1,500 sellers offered ginger beer to wash your snack down.