The Crossing Sweeper

Frith painted 'The Crossing Sweeper' whilst working on his masterpiece, the oil painting 'Derby Day'. "As a stopgap," he wrote in his autobiography, "I began to paint a small picture of a lady waiting to cross a street, with a little boy crossing-sweeper besieging her in the usual fashion."

Crossing sweepers were a common sight on the streets of London in the nineteenth century. The vast number of horse drawn vehicles meant that crossing the road could be hazardous and sweepers provided a service to the affluent. The sweeper became well known particularly through the character of Jo in Charles Dickens's 'Bleak House' (1852-3).

Frith painted his modern social subjects from direct experience and selected his models accordingly. 'A model for the lady,' he wrote, 'was easily found, and there was a large field open to me as I regarded the boy. I discovered a young gentleman with closely-cropped hair, naked feet, and a wonderful broom - in all respects what I desired, except in regard honesty...' (Frith recounted an incident of the crossing sweeper's attempt to rob him of his pocket watch and chain in his diary). According to the Art Journal of 1864, the model for the crossing-sweeper's face, "is bright and intelligent, showing material which would work well in the hands of the schoolmaster..."

The street scene is generalised but appears to show the area around Bayswater and Lancaster Gate, the area in which Frith lived. This idea is supported by the 'knifeboard' omnibus which is bound for Notting Hill.

Frith painted at least four other versions of this subject but the Museum's painting is the prime version, the largest and the most detailed.