'Beautiful and poignant' The Art Newspaper 'Absorbing... a magnificent book' Mail on Sunday The
first illustrated book on mudlarking that tells the captivating stories of forgotten people
through objects recovered from the river Thames. Combining insights from 200 eclectic objects
discovered on the Thames foreshore meticulous historical research and contextual illustrations
Mudlark'd uncovers the hidden histories of forgotten people from all over the world. Beginning
in each case with a particular find Malcolm Russell tells the stories of the people who owned
made or used such objects revealing the habits customs and crafts not only of those living in
London but also of those passing through from continental Europe the Americas Africa Asia
and Australia. In the 18th and 19th centuries London was the busiest port in the world
exchanging goods ideas people and power with every continent. The Thames long acted as
London's water source shipyard thoroughfare and rubbish dump. Its banks have been densely
packed with taverns brothels markets and workplaces and scavengers - known as mudlarks -
have scoured them since at least the 18th century. Consequently the Thames today offers a
repository of intriguing objects that evoke ways of life long forgotten. A delicate bone hair
pin uncovers the story of Roman ornatrices - enslaved hairdressers. A counterfeit coin reveals
the heritage of millions of Australians. Glass beads expose the brutal dynamics of the
transatlantic slave trade. Clay tobacco pipes uncover the lives of Edwardian women parachutists
and Victorian magicians. A scrap of Tudor cloth illuminates the stories of Dutch and French
religious refugees. The book also includes a primer giving step-by-step advice on how to
mudlark on tidal rivers and how to identify commonly made finds.
