Thursday 17 February 2011

A Souvenir of London (4)

It's been a little while since we looked at Souvenir of London, an album of Edwardian photographs (click for pictures one, two and three). Let's hurry along to Piccadilly Circus, apparently as much a tourist essential then as now.

The theme of the day seems to have been drinks: Bovril, Schweppes' Proset, and on the bus in the foreground, Dewar's Whisky. Invented in Germany in 1903, Proset was a clear, sparkling drink made from oranges, lemons, raspberries, strawberries and pineapples - but no alcohol, which meant it appealed to temperance campaigners. In 1909 it apparently sold for just two shillings per dozen bottles.

Giant adverts, lots of buses, Piccadilly Circus has hardly changed a bit...



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