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Street Advertising
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The poster being pasted up by the two men in the late 1870s is an ad for Mme. Tussaud’s London, a museum of wax figures that is still in business today. The image was part of John Thomson’s publication <em>Street Life in London</em>, a group of essays and photographsthat was one of the first published compilations of social documentary photographs. It holds a place of honor in the histories of photography, the book, ethnology, and sociology.
| Artist / Maker | John Thomson |
|---|---|
| Date | 1876–77 |
| Culture / Origin | England, 19th century |
| Medium | woodburytype |
| Department | Photography |
| Type | Photograph |
About the Artist
John Thomson British, b. Scotland, 1837-1921 John Thomson studied chemistry at the University of Edinburgh in his native city. While best known for his views of street life in London, Thomson spent his early photographic career in the Far East. Between 1863-73, based at a studio in Singapore, he photographed India, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. He spent two years photographing China, an ambitious project for which he traveled more than 5,500 miles. Returning to England, Thomson… Full biography →
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
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