The Dramatic Shoe-Black
£25.99Price
Jacobus Parker, nicknamed 'Rumty', blacked boots, sold odds and ends and gave dramatic readings, all from the same pitch. He'd spent nearly 22 years as a vellum-binder for the Treasury before losing the sight of one eye and ending up in Lambeth workhouse. His fans called him 'William Shakspeare' for his recitations. He once fluffed a line as Hamlet's ghost and later claimed it was his 'original rendering'. He earned about a shilling a day. John Thomson photographed him in 1877 for Street Life in London.
• Paper thickness: 10.3 mil
• Paper weight: 189 g/m²
• Opacity: 94%
• ISO brightness: 104%
• Paper is sourced from Japan
