Paintings, Prints & Drawings — 1804-04-25
Sweep Soot O (Foundling Hospital)
A boy chimney sweep with bag of soot and brush, passing the gates of the Foundling Hospital. Originally published as part of a series of thirty-one after drawings by William Marshall Craig and engraved by Edward Edwards.
Chimney sweeps started work at dawn. Two or three boys accompanied the master sweep. The older ones carried the bag of soot while the youngest would sweep the chimney, naked. Boys from workhouses were apprenticed to chimneysweepers.
The price was sixpence per chimney, increasing to one shilling for large kitchens. The soot was sold for manure. Apprentices often suffered hardship from their masters who deprived them of food to stunt their growth. The apprentice in this print wears a brass plate engraved with his master's name on the front of his cap. This was enforced by an act of Parliament in order to protect boys from mistreatment.
- Category:
- Paintings, Prints & Drawings
- Object ID:
- 35.96/13
- Object name:
- Sweep Soot O (Foundling Hospital)
- Object type:
- Related people:
- Related events:
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- Production date:
- 1804-04-25
- Material:
wove paper, ink, watercolour
- Measurements/duration:
- H 245 mm, W 190 mm (paper), H 133 mm, W 104 mm (printed image)
- Part of:
- —
- On display:
- —
- Record quality:
- 60%
- Part of this object:
- —
- Owner Status & Credit:
Permanent collection
- Copyright holder:
digital image © London Museum
- Image credit:
- —
- Creative commons usage:
- —
- License this image:
To license this image for commercial use, please contact the London Museum Picture Library.