Hand Trolleys
Without hand trolleys the final journey of goods would come to an abrupt halt. There is an army of people accross the world, largely unnoticed, ensuring that goods are transported to their final destination.
Brick Lane, 1983
New York, 2005
Whitechapel, 2009
Junction of Heneage Street and Brick Lane, 1985
Market Forces
Man pushing waste container. Manhattan, New York 2005
Man pushing a cart. Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009
Pushing & pulling, Brick Lane 2002
Man pulling a cart. Chittagong, Bangladesh 2008
Market Style
Lady outside newsagents, Whitechapel 1983
Out on a hot summers day this lady has sensibly used a woolly hat to keep the sun away. Her eccentric ensemble is championed by a flowery dress giving her a mark of distinction that happily removes us from the flavourless surroundings. The push chair she commands contains a coat and some bags so she has probably just begun to shop. On the day I took this photograph I can confirm that for me she was certainly the Queen of Whitechapel market.
The lady below illuminates Watney market with her shopping trolley and stylish dress. The squares of the trolley, curves of the shopping bag and psychedelic geometry of her dress combine to ensure we all have a better shopping experience.
Lady with shopping trolley. Watney market, Stepney 2009
Post Office Blues
Whitechapel Post Office, 1985
I remember quite a few Post Offices in East London but most of them have now been shut down. It amazes me that each time this happens we are told that the service will be “more efficient”. Well that is certainly not the case for a pensioner who finds it impossible to walk to a Post Office miles away. The photograph above illustrates the frustration people feel when they have to queue for a considerable time in order to do business with the Post Office. This is towards the end of a very long queue and the expressions on the faces of the two men with glasses suggest they are not too happy. As a documentary photographer I have always relished queues as they enable opportunities for observation. The traditional dress of the woman below sparkles in contrast with the utilitarian surroundings.
Whitechapel Post Office, 1983
Sedentary Trading in Whitechapel
Whitechapel traders, 1983
These two market traders above prefer to sit and chat and wait for passing trade to visit their stalls in front of them. Similarly the shopkeeper below is resting and waiting to make a sale of one of the many shoes available outside his shop.
Shopkeeper sitting outside his shop, Whitechapel 2008
