Artwork Page for Covent Garden Flower Women

Details / Information for Covent Garden Flower Women

Series Title: Street Life in London

Covent Garden Flower Women

1877

John Thomson

(Scottish, 1837–1921)
Culture
England, 19th century
Medium
woodburytype
Measurements
Image: 11 x 7.9 cm (4 5/16 x 3 1/8 in.); Paper: 11 x 7.9 cm (4 5/16 x 3 1/8 in.); Mounted: 27.1 x 20.8 cm (10 11/16 x 8 3/16 in.)
Credit Line
Photography Discretionary Fund 2019.49
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

These are the real-life counterparts of Eliza Doolittle in the musical My Fair Lady, who started out selling flowers in Covent Garden.

Description

Thomson’s collaborator, reporter Adolphe Smith said that “The familiar sight of a poor woman holding a pale child in her arms and offering modest violets to the pedestrian, is pregnant with a poetry which rags, and dirt fail to obliterate.” The jobs, which were passed down between generations, required worked long hours and yielded a meager income.
A vertically oriented woodburytype in sepia tones depicts four flower sellers with light skin tones on a sidewalk. On our left, a woman stands holding white paper bundles. Centered, another woman sits behind two large wicker baskets of greenery. To our right, a third woman and a man stand with downcast eyes. Behind them, an ornate lamp post and spiked fence stand before a building with a dark arched window.

Covent Garden Flower Women

1877

John Thomson

(Scottish, 1837–1921)
England, 19th century

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

Contact Us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please fill out the appropriate request form linked below:

Update or Correct Artwork Information

Imagery or Rights for Non-Open-Access Artworks

Report a Website Issue

Further Questions About This Artwork