The Crippled Street Bird-Seller

This engraved illustration of a street bird seller is based on a daguerrotype photograph by Richard Beard. It 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. The vendor, Old Billy, aged 39, sold birds such as goldfinches, jackdaws, larks and linnets in Poplar, Limehouse & Blackwall. He had difficulty walking because his right leg had no ankle joint. He also found it hard to move his arms and to speak clearly. Billy lived with his married sister. He worried about earning enough money to survive and was often unhappy because others teased him. When interviewed Billy noted ‘I liked the birds and do still. I used to think at first that they was like me; they was prisoners, and I was a cripple.’