The East End of London has long been associated with poverty and crime. The area has attracted immigrants from around the world, first Huguenots from France, then the Irish, then Jews from Eastern Europe; then immigrants from further afield like Bangladesh.

The following series of touching photographs were taken in Spitalfields in 1912 by Horace Warner and they depict the lives of children of the East End. Forced to work at an early age, many of these children seem quite enterprising and rugged, refusing to be defeated by the poverty engulfing them.

The photos are taken from SpitalfieldsLife.com.

You can view the original site here.