Daily People On Dorset Street

[Howard Brown]

I might be reposting something already on the boards...but what the hell....

Daily People
New York
September 16, 1901
***************

[Simon Wood]

Blackest London's Blackest Slum District

Hi All,

Here are three drawings made from photographs taken in 1901 by Curtis Brown, who ran a London news agency.

They were published in the New York Press, 30th June 1901 under the headline "Blackest London's Blackest Slum District".

Dorset Street


Millers Court


Annie Chapman's Lodging House


Curtis Brown wrote, "A visit to Dorset street, made with the object of taking the photographs for this article, resulted in exciting experiences. Taking photographs in London slum districts is always a matter of difficulty on account of the feverish desire of the entire population—men, women and children alike—to have their "likeness" taken; but in Dorset street there was determined opposition to any pictures of the locality being taken at all."

Regards,

Simon

[Chris G.]

Good stuff, Howard and Simon. Those images give a really good idea of the neighborhood and the local folk.

Cheers

Chris

[Simon Wood]

Hi All,

Gentle reader, kindly consider the following account as an example of the calibre of the type of witness who offered testimony at the inquest of Mary Jane Kelly, resident of Room 13, Millers Court, Dorset Street, Spitalfields.

New York Press, 30th June 1901—

SWEET BRIDGET M'CARTHY.

"It was when the visitor entered the ill-famed alley that active trouble began. From a door on the left of the passageway there emerged a tall and evil-faced woman, who rushed up and poured upon the photographer such a shower of obscene invectives as it is given to few men outside a London slum to hear.

"Yer impudent dog"—this was the mildest of her epithets—"you just dare to snap that thing in this alley and I'll tear yer face off yer!" emphasising her not too vague intention by shaking under the stranger's nose a skinny fist adorned with long, dirty and particularly threatening nails.

"This excellent lady proved to be Bridget McCarthy, known far and wide in Spitalflelds. She is the rent collector for nearly all the unknown landlords holding property in Dorset street, and her "say" would turn any household in the street out of doors; consequently, she queens it there, and her rule is no light one. But besides her profession of rent collector, Mrs. McCarthy manages one of the largest "cubicle" lodging houses in Dorset street. Nor is the extent of this building, from which she emerged to strike terror to the heart of the visitor, its chief claim to renown, for this is the place of which it is said that a murder has been committed in every room.

"Naturally, in these embarrassing circumstance, Mrs. McCarthy was jealous of the fair fame of her property. "The impudince of 'im!" she shrieked to her sympathetic audience, "comln' down here to take 'is bloody pictures, just as if the place hadn't a bad name enough already. Git out with yeh, now, before I maul yeh!" Mrs. McCarthy's wrath stirred up her constituents, and they spared no effort to baffle the invader who had aroused the anger of their sovereign lady. They swarmed in a solid phalanx between the photographer and whatever part of the district they saw he was bent on picturing, and their efforts would have prevented a picture of No. 35, the lodging house where the most recent murder took place, had not an athletic policeman appeared opportunely and succeeded in forcing the surging crowd back for an instant, or long enough for a hasty snapshot to be made."

Regards,

Simon

[Robert Linford]

I wonder if the author was a bee-keeper.

[Chris G.]

I wonder if the author was a bee-keeper.

What put that bee in your bonnet, Robert?

[Robert Linford]

Francis Bumblebee.

[Stephen Thomas]

I might be reposting something already on the boards...but what the hell....

Daily People
New York
September 16, 1901
***************

This article was unearthed 2 years ago by someone called Howard Brown.

[Howard Brown]

ST:
I've been doing that too often lately.
Thanks...

[Simon Wood]

Hi All,

Oh well, no point in me wasting my time by posting the rest.

Regards,

Simon

[Howard Brown]

Simon:

Please post the rest.
Newcomers probably never saw the material....and I'll bet I can't find it on the boards !!!

[Dave James]

Hi all,

Would Bridget M'Carthy be any relation to Jack M'Carthy, well known benevolent landlord of M'Carthy's rents?

[Howard Brown]

DJ:
Good question. Someone probably knows the answer...

Here is that "Blackest London" article in larger print.

You'll notice that our gal Bridget is mentioned in this article.

[John Bennett]

What gets me about these illustrations is that they were drawn from photographs. Goddamn, if only we knew where they were!

JB

[Howard Brown]

JG:
I got that vibe myself...who ever reproduced them was talented.
I'd give one of Robert Linford's arms to know who they were myself...