Street photography seems to be a fairly recent phenomenon, but it actually goes back to the Victorian times.
In these photographs shot by John Thomson, the photographer had to lug around his bulky camera and use glass plates to develop his pictures—a far cry from the technology we have today.
Thomson also published a book—Street Life In London—and unlike other photographers, who could wait for the right moment to take photos, he had to ask his subjects to pose and stand still.
Scroll down to view some photos of Londoners in the 19th century.
[via Design Observer]