2-634-881 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Blind basket-makers at work, Tottenham Court Road, London, c1901 (1903). In 1854 The Association for Promoting the General Welfare of the Blind was established by Elizabeth Margaretta Maria Gilbert (1826-1885). The charity created employment for the blind, opening a factory in 1893 in Tottenham Court Road producing woven baskets, brooms, and upholstery and chair seats. Queen Victoria, William Gladstone, Edward VII and Charles Dickens were notable patrons of the charity. In 1901, the General Welfare of the Blind produced all the mats and other articles used to fit SS 'Ophir' for the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York on their world tour. From Living London, Vol. III, by George R. Sims. [Cassell and Company, Limited, London, Paris, New York & Melbourne, 1903]