page_title: Sturdy beggar
hierarchical_section_title: Sturdy beggar
caption_attribution_description: English: Full-length depictions of beggars and peasants were distinctive subjects for artists of Lorraine (centered in the city of Nancy). The canvas used for this painting was not carefully prepared, and it may have been only intended for a temporary use, such as for a theatrical production. Given the secretive character of the man depicted, peering at us through a hole in his hat, the painting may have had a particular appeal for its previous owner, the American publisher, diplomat, and arts administrator Michael Straight (1931-2004), who was a spy for some years in the employ of the former Soviet Union before renouncing his past.
context_page_description: In historical English law, a sturdy beggar was a person who was fit and able to work, but begged or wandered for a living instead. The Statute of Cambridge 1388 was an early law which differentiated between sturdy beggars and the infirm poor. The Vagabonds and Beggars Act 1494 listed restrictions and punishments. In the 1530s and into the 1540s many English monasteries were closed, reducing resources available to the poor, and in 1531 there was an order issued that justices of the peace could issue licences to those unable to work, making begging by persons able to work a crime. Sometimes men willing to work but unable to find work were lumped into the same category.
  Types of sturdy beggar included the Tom o'Bedlam, who would pretend to be mad and follow people around. People would give him money to go away. The bristler used loaded dice that would land on any number he chose. This way, he could cheat at dice. The Counterfeit Crank would use soap to foam at the mouth, and pretend to have violent fits.
context_section_description: In historical English law, a sturdy beggar was a person who was fit and able to work, but begged or wandered for a living instead. The Statute of Cambridge 1388 was an early law which differentiated between sturdy beggars and the infirm (handicapped or elderly) poor. The Vagabonds and Beggars Act 1494 listed restrictions and punishments. In the 1530s and into the 1540s many English monasteries were closed, reducing resources available to the poor, and in 1531 there was an order issued that justices of the peace could issue licences to those unable to work, making begging by persons able to work a crime. Sometimes men willing to work but unable to find work were lumped into the same category.
  Types of sturdy beggar included the Tom o'Bedlam, who would pretend to be mad and follow people around. People would give him money to go away. The bristler used loaded dice that would land on any number he chose. This way, he could cheat at dice. The Counterfeit Crank would use soap to foam at the mouth, and pretend to have violent fits.
caption: The Beggar looking through his hat in the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, attributed to Bellange.
exif: {}