NOTES ON ISSUE 2: GLOSSARY The name of the public-house was the Pegasus's Arms. The Pegasus's legs might have been more to the purpose, but, underneath the winged horse upon the signboard, THE PEGASUS'S ARMS was inscribed in Roman letters.
Pegasus, a winged horse in Greek mythology, was often associated with the circus; circus performers sometimes gave the name to their horses, and the Royal Circus in London (opened in 1782) placed a statue of Pegasus on its roof.
Using pictures on signs to identify pubs was common practice in England, where taverns tended to have their own symbols. The description of the Pegasus's Arms may owe something to Dickens's observations of an old pub in Preston, where he traveled during that town's 1853-4 strike. This photograph of an old pub in the industrial north of Englandthe Seven Stars in Manchesterwas taken about 20 years after the publication of Hard Times. It is reproduced from Manchester As It Is (1878), a photographic work that intended to illustrate the modern improvements that had taken place in Manchester in the mid- to late nineteenth century, in an attempt to dispel its reputation as an industrial hell. The author and photographer, Alfred Brothers, included some pictures of older areas that had not been reconstructed or renovated to provide a contrast with the "new" Manchester, such as this tavern. "Father must have gone down to the booth, sir." | |
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