Cries of London: Do You Want any Brick- Dust

Between 1799 and 1820, Thomas Rowlandson made three separate series of prints depicting London street vendors. This drawing is the original design for a hand-coloured etching and aquatint which is one of the 1799 'Cries of London'.

Brick making was a major London industry and the dust was used to clean masonry and doorsteps. In this scene, the vendor is shown at the door of a respectable house pouring the powder into a bowl held by a pretty housemaid. Rowlandson typically introduces an element of broad comedy. As the gnarled dust-seller leers at the hesitant young maid, an alarmed older woman hurries to the rescue from within the house.

Stret vendors and hawkers were a familiar sight in London. Depending on the wares they sold, they were sometimes not far removed from beggars. Their loud cries advertised goods ranging from fish and vegetables to haberdashery and household supplies.