Flower Sellers

Photograph of two young flower sellers. In the 1850s Henry Mayhew estimated there were between 400 and 800 children selling flowers on the streets of London every Sunday. During the week this number was reduced by half. Most of the sellers were girls aged from six years to twenty years. They were often either the children of street-sellers or the unemployed. Any money they earned was used to support the family income. As well as working the main streets of the capital they often also travelled to the new suburban areas to sell their flowers.