London Flower Girl.

In Victorian London, girls and women selling flowers on the streets faced poverty, exploitation, and harsh living conditions. They worked long hours, starting early in the morning and continuing late into the night. Many of them came from impoverished backgrounds and had little access to education. They were vulnerable to exploitation by the flower suppliers who took a significant cut of their meager earnings. They often lived in cramped and unsanitary lodgings in the slums of London, exposing them to health issues. They were stigmatized by society and had limited prospects for escaping poverty. The contrast between the beautiful flowers sold by these workers and their harsh lives is portrayed in this collage. The beautiful flowers are enormous, almost suffocating the flower girl, and her face expresses fear and anguish. Handmade collage using paper and watercolor. Our present-day flower girls are the factory workers in third-world countries or the undocumented workers who cut our grass or work in construction. They make our lives comfortable, but we tend to ignore them. Handmade collage using images from old books, bits and pieces of paper, and a splash of watercolor.

Collage Size (Framed): 14 x 20.25 inches. Completed 2023.

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$750