Identifier: londonlabourlond03mayh (find matches)
Title: London labour and the London poor; a cyclopædia of the condition and earnings of those that will work, those that cannot work, and those that will not work
Year: 1861 (1860s)
Authors: Mayhew, Henry, 1812-1887 Tuckniss, William
Subjects: Working class Crime Prostitution Poor Charities
Publisher: London : Griffin, Bohn, and Company
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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to manage the strings. There was aplatform arranged, ■nith a place to rest against. The first to introduce the Fantoccini intoLondon — that is, into London streets, mindyou, going about—was Gray, a Scotchman.He was a very clever fellow,—veiy good,,and there was nothing but what was goodthat belonged to it—scenery, dresses, theatreand all. He had a frame then, no longer thanthe Punch frame now, only he had a labouringman to carry it for him, and he took with hima box no larger than a haberdashers box, whichcontained the figures, for they were not morethan nine inches high. Now my figures aretwo feet high, though they dont look it; but-my theatre is ten feet high by six foot wide,and the opening is four feet high. This Graywas engaged at aU the theatres, to exhibit hisfigures at the masquerades. Nothing wentdown but Mr. Gray, and he put poor Punchup altogether. When he performed at thetlieatres, he used to do it as a wind-up to theentertainment, after the dancing was over, and
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GUY F A W K E S. LOXDOX LABOUR AND THE LONDON POOR. c; they would clear the stage on pm-poseforhim,and then let down a scene with an opening init, the size of his theatre. On these occasionshis figures were longer, about two feet, andvciy perfect. There was juggling, and slackand tight rope-dancing, and Pimches, andeverything, and the performance was neverless than one hour, and then it was done asquick as lightning, eveiy moming, and no featLinger than two or three minutes. It didntdo to have silly persons there. This Gray performed at YauxhaU whenBish, tlie lottery-man in Cornhill, had it, andhe went down wonderful. He iilso performedbefore George the Fom-th. Ive heaixl say thathe got ten pounds a-week wlien he performedat YauxhaU, for they snatched him out of thestreets, and wouldnt let him play there. Itsimpossible to say what he made in the streets,for he was a Scotchman and uncommon close.If he took a hatfull, hed say, Ive only got alew; but he did so well he could sport hisdiam

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