25 March 2011 Last updated at 14:17

In pictures: Depictions of London's poor

A City Shower, 1764 by Edward Penny. A young maid vigorously shakes her mop, spraying a passer-by with dirty water.

The artwork A City Shower, 1764, by Edward Penny, is one of many on display in a new exhibition called 'Street Cries: depictions of London’s poor' at the Museum of London from 25 March to 31 July 2011.

The draft verse at the bottom of Sausage Seller, c1759 by Paul Sandby, reads: 'Rare Bologna Puddings and sausages/ Polones, Polones, choice & fine, to Relish your Beer, Ale or Wine'.

Sandby included a number of fish and seafood vendors in his work for the series, providing some evidence of the 18th Century London diet.

The painting Breakfasting Out, 1859, by Robert Dowling, was acquired by the London Museum as a work by Charles Hunt and is signed and dated accordingly at the bottom left. However, recent research has raised evidence suggesting it may be the work of Robert Dowling.

A Paraleytic Woman, 1820 by Théodore Géricault.

Théodore Géricault visited London in 1820 and almost immediately began drawing the city’s poor. This work - A Paraleytic Woman, 1820 - developed into a print series commissioned by publishers Rodwell & Martin.

In the work Buy a Trap, a Rat-trap, Buy My Trap, c1798 by Thomas Rowlandson, a rat in one of the traps has caught the attention of the dog at the trader's heels. A potential customer, meanwhile, peruses the goods on offer while the seller's gaze has been distracted by the young woman looking out of a window.

A London Courtesan, 1688 by Marcellus Laroon.

There were several ranks of prostitute in London, ranging from the high-class call girl to the ragged streetwalker. The girl in this print - A London Courtesan, 1688 by Marcellus Laroon - clearly belongs to the first class.

Covent Garden Market, 1864 by Phoebus Levin is an oil painting showing the early morning bustle of Covent Garden (St Paul's church clock shows 5 o'clock). The view is taken from James Street on the north side of the piazza, looking south to the market building.

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In pictures: Depictions of London's poor

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