Oscar G. Rejlander

Poor Jo

before 1862, printed after 1879
Category: 
One of Rejlander’s best-known photographs, Night in Town became known as Poor Jo after a street-sweeper in Charles Dickens’ novel Bleak House (1852–53). Apparently a re-enactment of a scene the artist had witnessed on the streets of London, the photograph was staged in his studio. He made several versions of the photograph and paired it with the study Day in Town of another so-called street urchin.
Title
Poor Jo
Date
before 1862, printed after 1879
Medium
Photograph
Materials
carbon print
Dimensions
20.3 x 15.7 cm; image: 20.2 x 15.6 cm
Nationality
British
Credit line
Purchased 1993
Accession number
37076

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