'The Rule of Three', 1827

The Rule of Three', 1827. Hand coloured satirical etching drawn and engraved by H Heath illustrating a gang of three pickpockets stealing from a gentleman in the street. The lady in the centre of the image distracts her victim by talking to him whilst she passes the gentleman's pocket watch to her accomplice who is standing behind her. Meanwhile, another accomplice helps himself to the gentleman's handkerchief. The scene is lit by a gas street lamp and is one of the earliest images of this form of street lighting. Plate 7 from a series called 'Arithmetic' from a collection of prints and books documenting the early history of the gas industry amassed by Sir Arthur Elton. ©SSPL/Science Museum