Skip to content

Vinegar Valentines For Bad Tradesmen

July 7, 2015
by the gentle author

This second selection from Mike Henbrey‘s extraordinary personal collection of mocking Valentines illustrates the range of tradespeople singled out for hate mail in the Victorian era. Nowadays we despise, Traffic Wardens, Estate Agents, Bankers, Cowboy Builders and Dodgy Plumbers but in the nineteenth century, judging from this collection, Bricklayers, Piemen, Postmen, Drunken Policemen and Cobblers were singled out for vitriol.

Bricklayer

Wood Carver

Drayman

Mason

Pieman

Tax Collector

Sailor

Bricklayer

Trunk Maker

Tailor

Omnibus Conductor

Peddler

Postman

Plumber

Soldier

Policeman

Pieman

Policeman

Cobbler

Railway Porter

House Painter

Haberdasher

Basket Maker

Baker

Housemaid

Guardsman

Chambermaid

Postman

Milliner

Carpenter

Cobbler

Images copyright © Mike Henbrey Collection

You may also like to take a look at

Victorian Trades Scraps

Pictures of Real Life for Children

Modern Cries of London

From My Scrap Collection

2 Responses leave one →
  1. Denise permalink
    July 7, 2015

    The images in the collection of Mike Henbrey are historically significant .

    Why is the working class seen to be sub – human and the butt of derision ?
    The satirical drawings of Daumier and Hogarth do not debase workers .
    There is a respect for humanity in much of their work .
    All of society is in their focus and this is how it should be .

    I see no humanity in these illustrations .
    The working class of 2015 is being reduced to this awfulness by the Tories and
    their masters .

    And , yes , I do possess a polished sense of the ridiculous .

  2. July 7, 2015

    Dear Gentle Author,

    How I love this BLOG, only one I read!

    A question; does any one see something a bit odd in the several black noses shown? Could this be an illusion to syphilis which attacks and destroys the nose? Particularly the trunk maker, that is not a normal nose.

    Fun fact. Sailors were not bow legged nor did they splay their legs for balance. According to THE FLOATING BROTHEL by Sian Rees, sailors walked with legs akimbo because their breeches, washed in sea water, irritated their inner thighs. Therefore a rainy day was also a blessed wash day.

    Many thanks for the marvelous and inspiring info on Spitalfields
    Peggy

Leave a Reply

Note: Comments may be edited. Your email address will never be published.

Subscribe to this comment feed via RSS