Manual Labour Collection (#2)

Brick Maker, from Costume of Great Britain, published by William Miller
STC137313 Brick Maker, from Costume of Great Britain, published by William Miller, 1805 (colour litho) by Pyne, William Henry (1769-1843); Private Collection; The Stapleton Collection; English

Workmen with implements and ropes for moving a Winged Bull
STC221876 Workmen with implements and ropes for moving a Winged Bull, plate 17 from Nineveh and its Remains by Austen Henry Layard (1817-94) published 1849 (litho) by English School

Sub-contractors at work in the Blackburn Aircraft Factory at Hudswell Clarke s, c
LLS218028 Sub-contractors at work in the Blackburn Aircraft Factory at Hudswell Clarke s, c.1939-45 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Leeds Library and Information Service, Leeds

Illustrated calendar for the Parisian department store La Belle Jardiniere
CHT157392 Illustrated calendar for the Parisian department store La Belle Jardiniere, the harvest, 1901 (colour litho) by Dupre, Julien (1851-1910); Bibliotheque des Arts Decoratifs, Paris

The main workshop of the Rime et Renard factory at Orleans
CHT157319 The main workshop of the Rime et Renard factory at Orleans, from Les Grandes Usines by Turgan (engraving) (b/w photo) by Rose, Laurent Victor (19th century); Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris

The Sheep Shearing Match, 1875 (oil on canvas)
GG80779 The Sheep Shearing Match, 1875 (oil on canvas) by Crowe, Eyre (1824-1910); 36.8x82.5 cm; Private Collection; Photo eGavin Graham Gallery, London, UK; English, out of copyright

Allegory of Summer, 1595 (oil on canvas)
5917413 Allegory of Summer, 1595 (oil on canvas) by Valckenborch, Lucas van (c.1535-97); 119x194 cm; Slovenska Narodna Galeria, Bratislava, Slovakia; (add.info.: Ceres)

Plate 386. Miner Using a Pick, 1885 (collotype on paper)
3950483 Plate 386. Miner Using a Pick, 1885 (collotype on paper) by Muybridge, Eadweard (1830-1904); 27x25.9 cm; Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA

English Navvies and the Iron Horse (sepia photo)
STC439408 English Navvies and the Iron Horse (sepia photo) by Birtles, Thomas (1832-1914); Private Collection; (add.info.: Manchester Ship Canal)

Child workers in the paper factory at Aschaffenburg, Germany
CHT157317 Child workers in the paper factory at Aschaffenburg, Germany, 1858 (engraving) (b/w photo) by German School, (19th century); Bibliotheque des Arts Decoratifs, Paris

Ms Fr 2820 fol. 115v Charlemagne (742-814) Directing the Construction of Aix-la-Chapelle
EDI193075 Ms Fr 2820 fol.115v Charlemagne (742-814) Directing the Construction of Aix-la-Chapelle, from Recueil Sommaire des Chroniques Francaises by Guillaume Cretin (1460-1525) (vellum)

Genesis 11 1-9 Building The Tower of Babel, from the
STC67456 Genesis 11 1-9 Building The Tower of Babel, from the Nuremberg Bible (Biblia Sacra Germanaica) (coloured woodcut) by German School

Almanac of the agriculture bookshop La Maison Rustique, c
CHT163149 Almanac of the agriculture bookshop La Maison Rustique, c.1860 (colour engraving) by French School, (19th century); Bibliotheque des Arts Decoratifs, Paris

Ms 322 f. 4v, August, a man cutting corn, illustration from the
476950 Ms 322 f.4v, August, a man cutting corn, illustration from the De Brailes Psalter, c.1250 (vellum) by Brailes, William de (fl.c.1230); Courtesy of the Warden and Scholars of New College

A Rocky Landscape with the Entrance to a Mine (oil on panel)
RAF228149 A Rocky Landscape with the Entrance to a Mine (oil on panel) by Savery, Roelandt Jacobsz. (1576-1639); 18x27.5 cm; Private Collection; Photo eRafael Valls Gallery, London, UK; Dutch

The Stonebreaker, c. 1882 (oil on canvas)
LEF221006 The Stonebreaker, c.1882 (oil on canvas) by Seurat, Georges Pierre (1859-91); 33x41 cm; Private Collection; Photo eLefevre Fine Art Ltd. London; French, out of copyright

Delivering coal, print by Horace W. Nichols, c. 1916 (photogravure)
STC379331 Delivering coal, print by Horace W. Nichols, c.1916 (photogravure) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; The Stapleton Collection; English, out of copyright

Ms 322 f. 2r, March, a man digging, illustration from the De Brailes Psalter, c
476944 Ms 322 f.2r, March, a man digging, illustration from the De Brailes Psalter, c.1250 (vellum) by Brailes, William de (fl.c.1230); Courtesy of the Warden and Scholars of New College

A river in flood, and peasants with axes and other tools (pen & ink over chalk on paper)
CTS413013 A river in flood, and peasants with axes and other tools (pen & ink over chalk on paper) by Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri) (1591-1666); 26.3x42.4 cm; eThe Devonshire Collections

Factory workers stand strong united, 1900 (pen on paper)
1765778 Factory workers stand strong united, 1900 (pen on paper) by Vaardt, Jan van der (1647-1721); 64.8A--48.3 cm; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Dagobert I (605-39), King of the Franks, over-seeing the building of Basilique
CHT207713 Dagobert I (605-39), King of the Franks, over-seeing the building of Basilique Saint-Denis (engraving) (b/w photo) by French School

The tread-wheel fan, illustration from The Criminal Prisons of London
STC386232 The tread-wheel fan, illustration from The Criminal Prisons of London and Scenes from Prison Life by Henry Mayhew and John Binny, pub

Pump-room at Wandsworth Prison, illustration from The Criminal Prisons of London
STC386224 Pump-room at Wandsworth Prison, illustration from The Criminal Prisons of London and Scenes from Prison Life by Henry Mayhew and John Binny, pub

Ms 322 f. 5v, October, a man sowing, illustration from the De Brailes Psalter, c
476954 Ms 322 f.5v, October, a man sowing, illustration from the De Brailes Psalter, c.1250 (vellum) by Brailes, William de (fl.c.1230); Courtesy of the Warden and Scholars of New College

Ms 322 f. 4r, July, a man scything, illustration from the De Brailes Psalter, c
476949 Ms 322 f.4r, July, a man scything, illustration from the De Brailes Psalter, c.1250 (vellum) by Brailes, William de (fl.c.1230); Courtesy of the Warden and Scholars of New College

The walls of towns among the Gauls are built of alternative courses of Stones and Beams
XJF468523 The walls of towns among the Gauls are built of alternative courses of Stones and Beams, engraved by Cornelis Huyberts

A Match Factory, 1895, photograph from The Times (sepia photo)
STC306695 A Match Factory, 1895, photograph from The Times (sepia photo) by English Photographer, (19th century); Private Collection; The Stapleton Collection; English, out of copyright

Leather Dresser, from Costume of Great Britain published by William Miller
STC137318 Leather Dresser, from Costume of Great Britain published by William Miller, 1805 (colour litho) by Pyne, William Henry (1769-1843); Private Collection; The Stapleton Collection; English

Gleaners, 1868 (w / c)
6198117 Gleaners, 1868 (w/c) by Cameron, Hugh (1835-1918); 23.5x38 cm; The McManus, Dundee, UK; (add.info.: Orchar Collection); Dundee Art Galleries and Museums; Scottish, out of copyright

Frontispiece depicting the explorations undertaken by Lieutenant Charles Warren
PEF451738 Frontispiece depicting the explorations undertaken by Lieutenant Charles Warren and his men, near the southern wall of the Haram al Sharif, Jerusalem

Picking Cotton, c. 1890 (oil on academy board)
466487 Picking Cotton, c.1890 (oil on academy board) by Gaul, Gilbert (1855-1919); 33.7 x 46.4 cm; Corcoran Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. USA; American, out of copyright

Coal Miner at the Port, 1930 (oil on canvas)
CH259606 Coal Miner at the Port, 1930 (oil on canvas) by Libian, Valentin Thibon de (1889-1931); 73x60 cm; Private Collection; (add.info)

Women at work, drilling and reaming aircraft wing spar fittings for Blackburn Aircraft
LLS218029 Women at work, drilling and reaming aircraft wing spar fittings for Blackburn Aircraft, Olympia Works, Leeds, c.1939-45 (b/w photo) by English Photographer

The Wheelright, c. 1860 (colour litho)
CHT275999 The Wheelright, c.1860 (colour litho) by French School, (19th century); Archives Hachette, Paris; (add.info.: Le Charron; ); eArchives Charmet; French, out of copyright

The Moscow Cycle Works, c. 1930 (oil on canvas)
BAL265725 The Moscow Cycle Works, c.1930 (oil on canvas) by Pinegin, Nikolay Vassilyevich (1883-1940); 87x113 cm; State Museum and Exhibition Centre ROSIZO, Moscow; Russian, out of copyright

The Construction of the Via Appia, illustration from Roman History
IL274130 The Construction of the Via Appia, illustration from Roman History (colour litho) by Valda, John Harris (d.1941); Private Collection; (add.info)

Assyrians moving a Winged Bull on a Sledge, from Nineveh and its Remains
STC221891 Assyrians moving a Winged Bull on a Sledge, from Nineveh and its Remains by Austen Henry Layard (1817-94) published 1849 (litho) by English School

Fol. 10v Month of October: Sowing, from Breviarium Grimani, c. 1515 (vellum)
XIR173253 Fol.10v Month of October: Sowing, from Breviarium Grimani, c.1515 (vellum) by Flemish School, (16th century); Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, Venice

Vale of Llanrest (oil on canvas)
6199943 Vale of Llanrest (oil on canvas) by Ghent, Peter (1856-1911); 124.5x92.1 cm; The McManus, Dundee, UK; Dundee Art Galleries and Museums; British, out of copyright

Platers helper Mr. Thomas Wilson, Liverpool. 5th May 1970

Clearing bomb damage buildings in Bromley by Bow. 3rd March 1955

A workman drilling holes in one of the bedstones on the Gateshead abutment for the bearings of the steel girders of the new Tyne Bridge

A "Ditching"party of Women of the Volunteer Land Corps at work digging a deep
A " Ditching" party of Women of the Volunteer Land Corps at work digging a deep drainage ditch in the fields at Cheshunt Herts ( )

Carding cotton, 1782. Creator: Pierre Sonnerat (1745-1814)
Carding cotton from Voyages aux Indes et a la Chine, 1782 (coloured engraving)

The Harvesters (August / September), 1565 (oil on panel)
3106602 The Harvesters (August/September), 1565 (oil on panel) by Bruegel, Pieter the Elder (c.1525-69); 118x161 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

The Stevedore, from Four and Twenty Toilers, pub. 1900 (colour lithograph). accompanies verse by E.V. Lucas (Edward Verrall Lucas) (1868 – 1938);

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"Unyielding Dedication: A Glimpse into the World of Manual Labour" From the towering Miner statue in Tonypandy, Rhondda Valley, Glamorgan, Wales, to the coal riddling workshop at Blanzy's mines in 1860s Europe - manual labour has left an indelible mark on our history. In Camelsdale, 1937, amidst the rhythmic tapping of hammers and the scent of fresh wood shavings, skilled hands crafted intricate bee skeps. Meanwhile, at Great Yarmouth's quayside in Norfolk, England steam-powered machinery hummed as fishermen tirelessly unloaded their catch from herring fisheries. Across oceans and continents lies Cuba; where under a scorching sun in c. 1910 black and white photos reveal men harvesting sugar cane with unwavering determination. The weighty bundles were then loaded onto carts by sweat-soaked workers who knew no respite. Journeying further south to Morocco's Chouara Tannery within Fes el Bali's ancient Medina walls reveals artisans immersed waist-deep in vibrant dyes while tending to leather hides - a testament to generations of craftsmanship passed down through time. The manufacture of indigo dye found its place both historically and geographically diverse – whether it be South Carolina in 1770 or Szechuan during 1867-72 China. These images depict laborers meticulously extracting nature's hues for textiles that would adorn countless lives. Finally arriving at Imperial Valley near Meloland California in 1939 brings us face-to-face with Dorothea Lange’s poignant photograph capturing stooped figures tying carrots against a backdrop of vast fields – embodying resilience amidst adversity. These glimpses into various corners of our world remind us that manual labour is not confined by borders but rather unites humanity through shared experiences, and is through these tireless efforts that progress is forged and legacies are built, shaping our past and inspiring our future.