Regulating the Poor: Ephemeral Printing and Poor Relief Tickets in the Long Nineteenth Century

The Kislak Center holds a wide variety of material relating to social history and the everyday stories of women and men. One particular area of these holdings that may not be widely known are those which intersect with the history of poor relief and food distribution. This talk will showcase a variety of ephemeral items (including soup kitchen tickets, ration cards, etc.) printed for use by those experiencing food insecurity in the long nineteenth century and will explore both the intentions behind charitable and state institutions as well as how these were received by the people for whom they were intended.