Road repair, c 1900.

Two workmen repair the road in a photograph by Paul Martin taken about 1900. The workmen are re-laying a road surface in Ludgate Circus, London, using a large tar-boiling machine. Paul Martin is regarded as a pioneer of photo journalism. In 1892 he bought a 'Facile' - a popular hand camera made by Fallowfield of London. With his camera disguised as a leather case, he was able to work unobserved, taking the candid photographs of daily life which are recognised as his greatest work.