Sutton High Street

This is one in a series of picture postcards depicting everyday life in Sutton High Street, a typical London suburb. In this image an elderly woman is pushed along Sutton High Street in her wheelchair. The lightweight chair was made of wicker, or perhaps Indian reed. Its tricycle structure, with large rear wheels, was typical of older wheelchairs available at the time. Only in 1932 was the first folding tubular steel chair invented. The unknown photographer who took the images used a 35-millimetre camera, and produced hundreds of photos of individuals walking along Sutton High Street. The photographer usually waited until the subject became aware of the camera before seizing the portrait.