A Beggar Approaching King George.
Above is a picture that was taken in the 1920’s of a beggar who is running alongside the carriage that belongs to King George V, the king of England at the time. It appears that the picture was taken at a derby in Epsom which is a market town in England.
The King is accompanied in the carriage by his son Prince Henry, the Duke of Gloucester. It is rather peculiar the lack of alarm that all of the nobles and their workers are showing at this man who could very well be dangerous. After all, this was only a decade after someone walked up to Franz Ferdinand, the archduke of Austria, and shot him in his carriage. It is possible that because this took place in the post WWI era, this was becoming a more common sight for people of nobility. The global depression would be beginning to take hold at this time and many soldiers who fought in the war baecame jobless at this point. The beggar might be one of these unemployed soldiers judging from the medals on his shirt.
Another curiosity about the photo is that none of the obviously well-to-do men are reaching to give the man anything. This actually is because royalty do not carry money on hand, so it is rather impossible for them to help this poor soul even if they wanted to. Even so, none of them even appear to acknowledge the beggar’s existence let alone show any sympathy for his position. It is truly sad seeing a man who was probably once a proud soldier being ignored by those he fought for.
Writer / Quiz Creator
Andrew Nicholas is a passionate reader and writer on the subjects of history and mankind. He is a published author, critic, and poet who grew up in the friendly scenery of rural Ohio. He is a graduate of Wright State University and a regular student of historical curiosities.