 | OF THE STREET-SELLERS OF MANUFACTURED ARTICLES. London Labour and the London Poor, volume 1 |  |
OF THE STREET-SELLERS OF PIPES, AND OF
SNUFF AND TOBACCO BOXES.
The pipes now sold in the streets and public-
houses are the "china bowls" and the "comic
heads." The "china-bowl" pipe has a bowl of
white stone china, which unscrews, from a flexible
tube or "stem," as it is sometimes called, about
a foot long, with an imitation-amber mouth-piece.
They are retailed at 6d. each, and cost 4s. a
dozen at the swag-shops. The "comic heads" are
of the clay ordinarily used in the making of pipes,
and cost 16d. the dozen, or 15s. the gross.
They are usually retailed at 2d. Some of the
"comic heads" may be considered as hardly
well described by the name, as among them
are death's-heads and faces of grinning devils.
"The best sale of the comic heads," said one
man, "was when the Duke put the soldiers'
pipes out at the barracks; wouldn't allow them
to smoke there. It was a Wellington's head
with his thumb to his nose, taking a sight, you
know, sir. They went off capital. Lots of
people that liked their pipe bought 'em, in the
public-houses especial, 'cause, as I heerd one man
— he was a boot-closer — say, `it made the old boy
a-ridiculing of hisself.' At that time — well, really,
then, I can't say how long it's since — I sold little
bone `tobacco-stoppers' — they're seldom asked for
now, stoppers is quite out of fashion — and one of
them was a figure of `old Nosey,' the Duke you
know — it was intended as a joke, you see, sir;
a tobacco-stopper."
There are now nine men selling pipes, which they
frequently raffle at the public-houses; it is not un-
usual for four persons to raffle at ½d. each, for a
"comic head." The most costly pipes are not now
offered in the streets, but a few are sold on race-
courses. I am informed that none of the pipe-
sellers depend entirely upon their traffic in those
wares, but occasionally sell (and raffle) such things
as china ornaments or table-covers, or tobacco or
snuff-boxes. If, therefore, we calculate that four
persons sell pipes daily the year through, taking
each 25s. (and clearing 10s.), we find 260l. yearly
expended upon the hawkers' pipes.
The snuff and tobacco-boxes disposed of by
street-traders, for they are usually sold by the
same individual, are bought at the swag-shops. In
a matter of traffic, such as snuff-boxes, in which
the "fancy" (or taste) of the purchaser is freely
exercised, there are of course many varieties.
The exterior of some presents a series of trans-
verse lines, coloured, and looking neat enough.
Others have a staring portrait of the Queen, or of
"a young lady," or a brigand, or a man inhaling
the pungent dust with evident delight; occasion-
ally the adornment is a ruin, a farm-house, or a
hunting scene. The retail price is from 4d. to 1s.,
and the wholesale 3s. to 7s. 6d. the dozen. The
Scotch boxes, called "Holyroods" in the trade,
are also sold in the streets and public-houses.
These are generally the "self-colour" of the wood;
the better sort are lined with horn, and are, or
should be, remarkable for the closeness and nice
adjustment of the hinges or joints. They are sold
— some I was told being German-made — at the
swag-shops at 3s. the dozen, or 4d. each, to 6s. the
dozen, or 8d. each. "Why, I calc'lated," said
one box-seller, "that one week when I was short
of tin, and had to buy single boxes, or twos, at a
time, to keep up a fair show of stock, the swags
got 2s. more out of me than if I could have gone
and bought by the dozen. I once ventured to buy
a very fine Holyrood; it 'll take a man three
hours to find out the way to open it, if he doesn't
know the trick, the joints is so contrived. But I
have it yet. I never could get an offer for what
it cost me, 5s."
The tobacco-boxes are of brass and iron (though
often called "steel"). There are three sizes: the
"quarter-ounce," costing 3s. the dozen; the "half-
ounce," 4s. 3d.; and "the ounce," 5s. 6d. the do-
zen, or 6½d. each. These are the prices of the
brass. The iron, which are "sized" in the same
way, are from 2s. to 3s. 6d. the dozen, wholesale.
They are retailed at from 3d. to 6d. each, the brass
being retailed at from 4d. to 1s. All these boxes
are opened and shut by pressure on a spring; they
are partly flat (but rounded), so as to fit in any
pocket. The cigar-cases are of the same quality as
the snuff-boxes (not the Holyroods), and cost, at
the German swag-shops, 3s. 6d. the dozen, or 4½d.
each. They are usually retailed, or raffled for on
Saturday and Monday nights, at 6d. each, but the
trade is a small one.
One branch of this trade, concerning which I
heard many street-sellers very freely express their
opinions, is the sale of "indecent snuff-boxes."
Most of these traders insisted, with a not unnatu-
ral bitterness, that it would be as easy to stop
the traffic as it was to stop Sunday selling in the
park, but then "gentlemen was accommodated
by it," they added. These boxes and cigar-cases
are, for the most part, I am told, French, the
lowest price being 2s. 6d. a box. One man, whose
information was confirmed to me by others, gave
me the following account of what had come within
his own knowledge: —
"There's eight and sometimes nine persons carry-
ing on the indecent trade in snuff-boxes and cigar-
cases. They make a good bit of money, but
they're drunken characters, and often hard up.
They 've neither shame nor decency; they'll
[Description: 915EAF. Page 441.]
which they know is used by fast gents that has
money to spare. And they watch old and very
young gents in the streets, or any gents indeed,
and when they see them loitering and looking
after the girls, they take an opportunity to offer a
`spicy snuff-box, very cheap.' It's a trade only
among rich people, for I believe the indecent sellers
can't afford to sell at all under 2s. 6d., and they ask
high prices when they get hold of a green 'un; per-
haps one up on a spree from Oxford or Cambridge.
Well, I can't say where they get their goods,
nor at what price. That's their secret. They
carry them in a box, with proper snuff-boxes to be
seen when its opened, and the others in a secret
drawer beneath; or in their pockets. You may
have seen a stylish shop in Oxford-street, and in
the big window is large pipe heads of a fine
quality, and on them is painted, quite beautiful,
naked figures of women, and there's snuff-boxes
and cigar-cases of much the same sort, but they're
nothing to what these men sell. I must know, for
it's not very long since I was forced, through
distress, to colour a lot of the figures. I could
colour 50 a day. I hadn't a week's work at it.
I don't know what they make; perhaps twice as
much in a day, as in the regular trade can be
made in a week. I was told by one of them that
one race day he took 15l. It's not every day
they do a good business, for sometimes they may
hawk without ever showing their boxes; but gen-
tlemen will have them if they pay ever so much
for them. There's a risk in the trade, certainly.
Sometimes the police gets hold of them, but very
very seldom, and it's 3 months. Or if the Vice
Society takes it up, it may be 12 months. The
two as does best in the trade are women; they
carry great lots. They've never been apprehended,
and they've been in the trade for years. No, I
should say they was not women of the town.
They're both living with men, but the men's not
in the same trade, and I think is in no trade;
just fancy men. So I've understood."
I may observe that the generality of the haw-
kers of indecent prints and cards are women.
There are about 35 persons selling snuff and
tobacco-boxes — the greatest sale being of tobacco-
boxes — and cigar-cases, generally with the other
things I have mentioned. Of these 35, however,
not one-half sell snuff-boxes constantly, but resort
to any traffic of temporary interest in the public
or street-public estimation. Some sell only in the
evenings. Reckoning that 15 persons on snuff
and tobacco and cigar boxes alone take 18s.
weekly (clearing 7s. or 8s.), we find 692l. thus
expended.
| OF THE STREET-SELLERS OF MANUFACTURED ARTICLES. London Labour and the London Poor, volume 1 | |