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Scrapbook
19th century (made)
| Artist/Maker |
This image of Billy Waters comes from a book called Costume of the Lower Orders by Thomas Busby, which was published in London in 1820. Busby claimed that he drew his portraits 'from nature'. They included a one-armed white fiddle-player and other beggars and street-sellers in the tradition of 'Cries of London'. These 'Cries' were originally the calls of street traders and hawkers selling their wares. They became a rich source of inspiration for British musicians and artists. The inclusion of real-life black personalities in books and prints reflects the historical presence of black people among the London poor in the early 19th century.
The compiler of this scrapbook also pasted into it a notice of Billy Waters's death from a contemporary newspaper: 'The eccentric Billy Waters, whose conspicuous character . . . gained him as much notoriety, bade adieu to this life yesterday morning, after being ten days in St Giles's workhouse, in a lingering condition. Poor Billy endeavoured up to the period of his illness to obtain for a wife and two children what he termed "an honest living by the scraping of cat-gut", by which he originally amassed a considerable portion of browns (half-pence) at the West end of the town, where his hat and feathers, with his peculiar antics, excited much mirth and attention . . . however, he died very poor, and was obliged, prior to his death, to part with his old friend, the fiddle, for a trifling sum at the pawnbrokers; and the wooden pin (leg) which had so often supported Billy, would have shared the same fate, but its extensive service had rendered it worthless though it had twice saved poor Billy from the penalties of the Tread Mill. He was formerly a sailor, and he received a trifling pension since he left the service. A short time prior to his death he was elected King of a party of Beggars in St Giles's, in consequence of his notoriety. He resided with his family in the house of Mrs Fitzgerald, Church Street, St Giles's. His remains were yesterday removed from the Workhouse, to the New Burial Ground, St Pancras, where he was interred. He was followed to the grave by his wife and children, with a few old friends - some professional ones. He was forty-five years of age.'
The compiler of this scrapbook also pasted into it a notice of Billy Waters's death from a contemporary newspaper: 'The eccentric Billy Waters, whose conspicuous character . . . gained him as much notoriety, bade adieu to this life yesterday morning, after being ten days in St Giles's workhouse, in a lingering condition. Poor Billy endeavoured up to the period of his illness to obtain for a wife and two children what he termed "an honest living by the scraping of cat-gut", by which he originally amassed a considerable portion of browns (half-pence) at the West end of the town, where his hat and feathers, with his peculiar antics, excited much mirth and attention . . . however, he died very poor, and was obliged, prior to his death, to part with his old friend, the fiddle, for a trifling sum at the pawnbrokers; and the wooden pin (leg) which had so often supported Billy, would have shared the same fate, but its extensive service had rendered it worthless though it had twice saved poor Billy from the penalties of the Tread Mill. He was formerly a sailor, and he received a trifling pension since he left the service. A short time prior to his death he was elected King of a party of Beggars in St Giles's, in consequence of his notoriety. He resided with his family in the house of Mrs Fitzgerald, Church Street, St Giles's. His remains were yesterday removed from the Workhouse, to the New Burial Ground, St Pancras, where he was interred. He was followed to the grave by his wife and children, with a few old friends - some professional ones. He was forty-five years of age.'
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Bound book, containing hand-coloured prints |
| Brief description | Scrapbook of 96 pages, with 12 images of black people, including Billy Waters. Late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. |
| Physical description | Scrapbook with a dark blue binding. The book contains a wide range of images and print cuttings dating from the late 18th and early 19th century, including the following images of black people: p.3v, black coachman p.26, advertisement for sale of a 'Creole Negro Man' p.31v, The officers of the 4th Light Dragoons, with black musicians, by Rowlandson p.34v, Brook Green Fair, including a black boy musician p.45, 'Life in Philadelphia', a cartoon originally by Edward Williams Clay, ca. 1828. p.59, Mr Kean as Othello p.62, visitors to the RA show, Somerset House, from Pierce Egan, Life in London p.62, visitors to a library, showing a black slave or servant carrying his mistresses books. p.64, black man courting a servant girl p.70v, newspaper cutting discussing a black beggar who made a fortune p.73, advert for a black servant girl, Whitechapel p.94v, image of Billy Waters, from Costume of the Lower Orders by Thomas Busby (1820); with newspaper cutting of his obituary. |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by H. Graves |
| Object history | NB: The term "negro" was used historically to describe people of black African heritage but, since the 1960s, has fallen from usage and, increasingly, is considered offensive. The term is repeated here in its original historical context. |
| Summary | This image of Billy Waters comes from a book called Costume of the Lower Orders by Thomas Busby, which was published in London in 1820. Busby claimed that he drew his portraits 'from nature'. They included a one-armed white fiddle-player and other beggars and street-sellers in the tradition of 'Cries of London'. These 'Cries' were originally the calls of street traders and hawkers selling their wares. They became a rich source of inspiration for British musicians and artists. The inclusion of real-life black personalities in books and prints reflects the historical presence of black people among the London poor in the early 19th century. The compiler of this scrapbook also pasted into it a notice of Billy Waters's death from a contemporary newspaper: 'The eccentric Billy Waters, whose conspicuous character . . . gained him as much notoriety, bade adieu to this life yesterday morning, after being ten days in St Giles's workhouse, in a lingering condition. Poor Billy endeavoured up to the period of his illness to obtain for a wife and two children what he termed "an honest living by the scraping of cat-gut", by which he originally amassed a considerable portion of browns (half-pence) at the West end of the town, where his hat and feathers, with his peculiar antics, excited much mirth and attention . . . however, he died very poor, and was obliged, prior to his death, to part with his old friend, the fiddle, for a trifling sum at the pawnbrokers; and the wooden pin (leg) which had so often supported Billy, would have shared the same fate, but its extensive service had rendered it worthless though it had twice saved poor Billy from the penalties of the Tread Mill. He was formerly a sailor, and he received a trifling pension since he left the service. A short time prior to his death he was elected King of a party of Beggars in St Giles's, in consequence of his notoriety. He resided with his family in the house of Mrs Fitzgerald, Church Street, St Giles's. His remains were yesterday removed from the Workhouse, to the New Burial Ground, St Pancras, where he was interred. He was followed to the grave by his wife and children, with a few old friends - some professional ones. He was forty-five years of age.' |
| Associated objects | |
| Bibliographic reference | Busby, Thomas. Costume of the lower orders of London. London : Published for T.L.Busby, by Messrs. Baldwin and Co., 1820. iv,[24]p. engr.col.front., [23] engr.col.plates. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.1070-1921 |
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| Record created | November 13, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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