RUTHERFORD, John.

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Indoor Paupers by One of Them. First edition of this account of the Poplar workhouse. After his many letters to the Poor Law Commissioners were ignored, Rutherford instead turned to the public, publishing this book to raise awareness of the conditions faced by those in poverty. It is "an invaluable work for the study of the mid-nineteenth century poor" (Burnett, Vincent, & Murray, p. 209).The narrative offers a perspective on institutional routines and the social hierarchy within the workhouse. "By the 1880s, [Rutherford] was adding to a long tradition of pamphleteers, journalists and fiction writers who sought to influence the 'court of public opinion', the most famous of whom was, of course, Charles Dickens. But as a pauper himself, he was uniquely placed to make his observations, and through his letters and his short published book, it is possible to see the mechanics of popular influence at work in the context of the New Poor Law" (National Archives).

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