Gustave Dore's Mid Victorian London

In 1869 French artist Gustave Dore teamed up with journalist Blanchard Jerrold to produce an illustrated record of the 'shadows and sunlight' of London.  As Jerrold later recalled, they spent many days and nights exploring the capital, often protected by plain-clothes policemen. They visited night refuges, cheap lodging houses and the opium den described by Charles Dickens in the sinister opening chapter of The Mystery of Edwin Drood.  According to The Guardian, the project took 4 years during which time, Dore produced 180 engravings. 

Over London By Rail

Some doubts have been cast as to the accuracy of these images as Dore disliked sketching in public.  Jerrold's text was thought to be superficial at the time.

Dudley Street, Seven Dials

However both men were "transfixed by the deprivation, squalor and wretchedness of the lives of the poor, even though they realised that London was changing and some of the worst social evils were beginning to be addressed."  THE GUARDIAN 

Scripture Reading In A Night Refuge

Their work has been described as a landmark account of the deprivation and squalor of mid-Victorian London.

Wentworth Street Whitechapel

 

 

St Lukes

"St Lukes", Oil on Canvas  1999   75 cm x 117 cm

This painting was inspired by an illustration by Augustus Pugin called "St Luke's Hospital" which appeared in Ackerman's Microcosm Of London of 1809 (below).  I doubt if the ceilings were as high as depicted in the illustration, it was probably done to enhance the alienation or otherworldliness of the scene - which is what attracted me to it.  The sky in this painting happened by accident in the under painting and I decided to work with it through to finality.