Thornbird Rose

For centuries, Flower Sellers emerged from peasant girls trying to make a living for their families. The "poor little flower girl" has been romanticized and novelists such as Charles Dickens have depicted them amongst the working poor in the slums of London. Henry Mayhew did a study of London's Poor referring to them as "costermongers" living in deplorable conditions. Others were lucky and earned their living in better neighborhoods and were regarded as part of the beautiful scenery as they decorated their carts or booths with bouquets of fresh available flowers. Some even owned or leased their own land in which they grew their own flowers just outside of the city limits.

Young women often sold flowers in the streets to help their families earn a living. These girls and the man with the cart most likely made their income off of the people in the busy business districts of their cities.