Maltese porters

Among the most common sounds in King Otto’s Athens was the cry “Malta!”. Poverty forced many islanders to emigrate to Greece, where they became porters. In return for a small fee, the Maltese would carry on their shoulders baggage and people who wished to protect their clothes and shoes from the ever-present mud that plagued the streets of Athens.

Creator: Louis Ducros (1778)
Source: Rijksmuseum