The founder of the British Workman was Thomas Bywater Smithies, who was born in York in 1817 . He had a great interest in temperance work and believed that literature could be a powerful tool for doing good in that work. In 1851 he published the Band of Hope Review and Sunday Scholars' Friend . Following that publication, Smithies established the long running firm of S W Partridge & Co and began the British Workman in January 1855 edited by himself. It was a four page illustrated paper produced monthly at the cost of 1d. From the start it was evident that Smithies put a considerable amount of his own money into the publication as he required a print run of 100,000 to break even. Other philanthropists contributed, no. 57’s print run of 200,000 being paid for by four friends with all copies being donated to the London City Mission to be distributed abroad. By 1868 there were editions in four major European languages as well as Latin. Very eminent artists like George Cruikshank ( 1792-1878 ) and Sir John Gilbert drew for it and Lord Shaftsbury was a constant supporter. Florence Nightingale distributed it to troops in the Crimean War. Smithies died in 1883 and the publication was bought by the firm who had produced it for 28, S.W.Partridge and Co.
From the guide to the British Workman magazine, 1855-1892, (Glasgow Caledonian University, Heatherbank Museum of Social Work)
