'Hookey Alf' of Whitechapel
About this artwork
Thomson's most famous book was 'Street Life in London' of 1877. It was an attempt to account for the hard lives of the labourers in the city. Here Hookey Alf waits outside a Whitechapel pub in the hope of attracting work from passing coal merchants. The accompanying text written by the journalist, Adolphe Smith, provided a sympathetic account of Hookey Alf's circumstances. Its aim was to challenge contemporary attitudes towards working class people and encourage social reform.
Updated before 2020
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artist:John Thomson (1837 - 1921) Scottish
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title:'Hookey Alf' of Whitechapel
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date created:1877
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materials:Woodburytype
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measurements:11.20 x 8.60 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Gift of Mrs. Riddell in memory of Peter Fletcher Riddell 1985
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accession number:PGP R 173.30
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gallery:
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artwork photographed by:Antonia Reeve
John Thomson
John Thomson
Born and educated in Edinburgh, Thomson set up a studio in Singapore in 1863 and travelled to Ceylon, Siam and Cambodia the following year. In 1870 he travelled in Singapore, Vietnam and China and when he returned to Britain two years later, published 'Illustrations of China and Its People' and...