The fact that these men are wearing white coats indicates that they worked at the market. Smithfield Market is a wholesale meat market in the City of London. Covering an area of 10 acres, it has stood on this site, just outside the old City walls, for 800 years. Red meat and poultry was unloaded and carried into Smithfield marketplace early each morning. The market supplies inner city butchers, shops and restaurants with meat for the coming day and trading hours are from 4am until noon.
