Brotherhood of Painters and Decorators of America, Local Union, No. 97, Ca. 1905.
The earliest known organization of workers in London occurred in 1845. Twenty-seven years later the Workingman's Progressive Political Party was organized in the city. By 1884 London had three local assemblies in the Knights of Labor, and interest in this organization led that year to the formation of the London Trades and Labor Council. Among the twenty-five known unions in the city in 1895, the Industrial Banner, the labour monthly published in London and endorsed by the London Trades and Labor Council, noted the Painters and Decorators Union. This anonymous photograph shows this union's members in formal attire on the Market Square.
Courtesy: London Historical Museums, London Public Library Board
