Dirty Father Thames
N, pseud. [William Newman] *
Genre: | Poetry, Drollery; Illustration, Satire |
Relevant illustrations: | wdct. |
Illustrators: | N, pseud. [William Newman] * |
Subjects: | Pollution, Disease, Politics |
Institutions mentioned: | Corporation of London |
The poem represents the Thames as a 'foul' and 'filthy' river. It is nothing but 'one vast gutter' whose 'bubbly bosom' brews 'mephitis' inhaled by 'Christian folks'. Observes how the river is a receptacle for all the city's 'foul abominations', but, also the 'vile cesspool' from which beer is made. Ends by reminding the Lord Mayor (John K Hooper) that 'He who fills the civic chair' has maintained this dire state of affairs. The illustration shows a decrepit 'Father Thames' walking on the bottom of his river, dressed in rags and spearing gruesome objects on the river bed. |
© Science in the Nineteenth-Century Periodical Project, Universities of Leeds and Sheffield, 2005 - 2020
Printed from Science in the Nineteenth-Century Periodical: An Electronic Index, v. 4.0, The Digital Humanities Institute <http://www.sciper.org> [accessed ]