Broadgate Bag Lady

Bag lady at Broadgate, 1986

Bag lady at Broadgate, 1986

I photographed this Lady at various times during the 1980’s. I was intrigued to know the story of her life but I got the impression that she wanted to be left alone so I never spoke to her. I usually saw her sitting down with her trolley next to her around Bishopsgate or Spitalfields. I feel this image captures a dignified defiance. Positioned close to Liverpool St station she would see the world from an entirely different perspective to the 123 million visitors who pass through it each year.

Bag lady in Spitalfields resting on a door step,1987

She is well prepared for the cold weather. Her boots, warm gloves and head scarf show she is prepared for anything the elements might throw at her.

Bag lady resting on a door step, Spitalfields 1987

Bag lady in Spitalfields resting on a door step, 1987

She appears to be comfortable with her door step next to the Percy Ingle bakers shop on Whitechapel Rd. Are the words on her bag a metaphor for her life? Attitudes towards people who live on the street tend to range from pity to contempt. Living on the street means you are at risk of being attacked. As I wonder why she has a life on the streets and speculate about the contents of her bags I could easily miss something. Perhaps it is us that should be pitied. Her life is not subjected to the constraints most of us accept without question. From her adopted doorstep she is the queen of the domain she views.

Bag lady, Spitalfields 1988

What is she thinking as she gazes into the distance?