London Characters

Click here to book In my desk drawer, I keep this fine set of London Characters, cigarette cards by an unknown artist issued by Lambert & Butler in 1934. Remarkably, The Chestnut Seller, The Boot Black, The Coffee-Stall Keeper, The Flower-Seller, The Ice-Cream Vendor, The Fish-Stall Keeper and The Pavement Artist survive, in very limited numbers and in differing forms. With references to black-shirts and the depression, these cards speak eloquently of the life of inter-war London, – ‘these enlightened days of stainless steel ‘ as they are described here with brash confidence. Yet, only yesterday, I saw a woman standing outside Liverpool St Station with a large handmade placard ,’2 Bedroom Flat to Sell,’ which made me wonder if we might be on the brink of a street-selling revival in our capital. “Baked Chestnuts!” – With the approach of autumn, the Baked Chestnut Man wheels his barrow with its glowing fire – over which the chestnuts pop and sizzle – to a frequented spot where the…