An engraving from "The Boy's Own Paper Annual," 1879

Source: ebay, Nov. 2007

"Lord Macaulay was known for his fondness towards children. Boy readers knew him best for his lyric poetry. The engraving depicts a well-known incident in his career. He bought a handful of songs from a street patterer one day to familiarize himself with the ballad literature of the day. On his way home he was surrounded by "street urchins"who had come to hear him sing the ballads. The engraving is an artist's depiction of this event."