Mother-of-Pearl Suits and the Charity Walkers of East London

In mother-of-pearl suits, the Pearly Kings used to canvass East London for charity, NPR reports. The most famous of them, George Major, died in August; the piece looks back on a larger-than-life figure and the tradition he belonged to. A suit covered in pearl buttons is a strange piece of fundraising equipment, but that was the point — the wearer became a walking advertisement for a collection, in a district where street-level charity meant knocking on doors and being recognised while you did it.