HENRY MAYHEW (1812-1887) AND

London Lobwr as he worked alongside Richard BeardZM Beard, England's fjrst
professional photographer, created xmst of the daguarorype, which were the basis of
London Labour's engravings during the late 1840s."' Each weekly issue began with one
of Beard's woodcuts. usually a woodcut of oae of tk streaselem 262. aad although his
work was done in the studio, he portrayed Mayhew's strtxtfdk sympathetically in their
own social and cultural contexts Mayhew reaunt& biind "Old Sarah's" trip to
Beard's studio:
When conveyed to Mr.Beard's establishment to have kr dagumtxxype
taken, she fa the first time in her life rode in a cab; and then her fear at
being pulled "back'ards" as she tamxi it (fa she sat with her back to the
horse), was almost paintirl. She felt about fa soxmbhg to lay hold of,
and did not appear comfortable umil she had a 6rm grasp of the pocket. .
.. Whilst asceading tk high flight of stah that led to the portraitrooms,
she laughed at every progosal ma& to her to rest. When the
mait was hished she expressed a wish to fael it."
260 see Joyce. Visions of the People, 199 1, 230-255.
Taithe. 1996, 10.
263 Taithe, 1996.96.
264 Mayhew, III: 159. "One canna wak 6Ay yards without pwing scme photogr~phic
establishment1', Mayhew commented as he walked along Bermondsey. the New-Cuk and
Whitechapel-rd It was "in Bermoadsey", Mayhew recalled, "that I met with the first instanae of
what may be called pure photograpby" Mere a Mr.F-1 was "taking sixpenny patraits in a booth
built up out of old canvas, and erected aa a piece of spare ground in a furniture-bdrerls yard"
(Mayhew, IIX: 204). One photographic man told Mayhew: 'The faa is, people don't know their
own faces. Half of 'em have never laoked in a glass half a dozen times in their life, and direaly
they see a pair of eyes and a nose, they fancy they are their own" (Mayhew, IIX: 207). Mayhew had
been told: ".. thae arc near u p 250 houses in hdoo now gating a livelihood taking sixperrny
pntraits" (Mayhew. El:210).