Middlesex House of Correction: prisoners sitting on long benches untangling bundles of twine (picking oakum); a guard raises his hand. Wood engraving. after M. Fitzgerald, 1874.

"The work of picking oakum is rather painful to delicate fingers, but becomes easy after a few days. Our illustrations show this sort of work going on, and n another room the work of tailoring. The prisoners are constantly watched, and are forbidden to speak a word to each other when assembled for work or dinner; even a detected word or sign would be severely punished."--Illustrated London news, op. cit. p. 63

Moral maxims are pasted on the walls

[London] : [Illustrated London news], [1874]

1 print : wood engraving ; sheet 18.6 x 25.9 cm

Sketches in the Clerkenwell House of Correction. The oakum-shed. MF

Wellcome Collection 37710i