A Bent Copper

What, you may ask, is so interesting about this 1898 photograph? It's just a Victorian woman crossing a road with a dog.

The answer is that it was taken by Zola, when he fled to London during the Dreyfus Affair. We see lots of photos of authors, but this is the first I can think of that is by one. I've tried to find other examples, but Google has drawn a blank.

I don't know whether Zola employed any domestic staff during his stay in London, but he may have perused these advertisements:

I'm intrigued by the stipulation of "no fringe" in a couple of adverts and the promise of beer in others.  Can anyone enlighten me about the fringe issue? Are fringes a sign of bad character?

Talking of bad characters, another gem from the 1890s I found recently is a memoir of policing in Victorian Manchester. The book looks like a good read, but the main attraction is the author's name:

I don't know if this joke travels well. Do they have "bent coppers" outside the UK?

I expect that Superintendent Bent would have been able to quickly identify the ne'er-do-wells in this 1892 photo. My money's on the boy with the peaked cap, who looks as if he's contemplating an illegal act.

I'm sure the sight of the Superintendent would have been enough to strike fear into the hearts of most criminals. Just look at him:

Only these habitual bad'uns would have been impervious to the long arm of the law:

But in spite of Bent's stern countenance, he was a compassionate man whose sense of justice included a committment to improve the living conditions of the poor. Today, in Trafford, there is a blue plaque that reads:

"Superintendent James Bent established a soup kitchen in this vicinity in 1878 feeding thousands of people and potentially saving them from starvation."

Bent coppers aren't what they used to be.

Finally, a frontispiece illustration from an annual that has nothing to do with the 1890s, but I like the image:

Don't you?