Long-Song Seller. "Two under fifty for a fardy'!"

Engraved illustration based on a photograph showing a street seller of 'long-songs'. These were popular songs printed on paper about a yard long and three songs abreast. The papers were sometimes pasted together, and were fixed to a long pole as shown in the illustration. The seller cried out the title of each of the songs, and the price, such as 'Three yards a penny'. This was a summer occupation, as the 'long-songs' could not be paraded when the weather was wet and foggy. The illustration was published in Henry Mayhew's 'London Labour and the London Poor: The condition of those that will work, cannot work, and will not work', Vol. 1., 'London Street-Folk', first published in 1861. No. 14 page 209.