This is part of a series of images, mostly Romany, Irish and Scottish Travellers collected from around the internet.  Many of these historic images found on the web are without citation.  When a clear link to a source is found, I try to include it.  If a source is known, please pass it on and I will gladly include it or remove it if necessary.

A homey scene.  A mother cooking, father and son engaging in their craft.

Some important facts about caravan living before the ultra-modern RVs came along that may help people understand some of the choices I have made about my own wagon:

• The caravan is the hub around which camp is built, but most “living” actually takes place outside in the wide world.  Sometimes this means tents or other temporary structures provide protection from the elements.  Prior to the second world war, caravan Travellers in Europe often slept outdoors, often under the caravan while the kids were corralled inside.  This makes a lot a sense as adults stay up later, and kids can wander off.
• Cooking is done outdoors, over a fire.  The stove, when there is one, is for heat and drying.
• The hearth is the focus of family life, just as it has been for a million years.  That is where people congregate, music and stories happen there, and it is provides comfort and cheer.
• There is no water closet or toilet inside the caravan.  That is disgusting yet one of the most common criticisms I see or receive about mine or other traditional wagons.
• A consistent anthropological observation about nomads is the strict rules of hygiene and cleanliness.  Working and wandering outdoors can be a dirty business so strict rules are adhered to.  Some of these reach the level of taboos and can be traced back over at least a thousand years.  Living on the road can make one appreciate this need.
• The fancy wagons of 19th century Britain are the exception, not the rule.  Carts and wagons have likely served as the home base for nomads of various types since 500 B.C. or before.  They came to their peak of perfection in Britain in the 19th and very early 20th centuries before morphing into the RVs we see today.

A Traveller in southwest England. This simple accommodation is much cheaper and more readily built than the fancy production models.

A considerate Traveller carries a fire pan to prevent scorching the earth by the roadside.