Church of Choppers Blog

The first known use of photography as a tool of social commentary was a book called "Street Life in London," published in 1877, a collection of essays, as the preface put it, on the "various means by which our unfortunate fellow-creatures endeavor to earn, beg or steal their daily bread." The photographs, some of which are shown here, were taken by John Thomson, who had established a reputation with perceptive portraits as well as with several.