Daily Life in a Victorian House - Softcover

Daily Life in a Victorian House A child’s "Upstairs, Downstairs," this thrilling journey back in time into the heart of a Victorian home uses a unique visual approach, with photographs of real objects from the past in close-up color to bring the period fully alive. Discover how a wealthy family and their servants really lived: how they dressed, what they ate, how they entertained. Daily Life in a Victorian House chronicles a day in the life of the Smith family, from the moment when the housemaid struggles wearily out of bed to light the fires, to the moment when the last candle is snuffed out and the house is once more at rest. Daily Life in a Victorian House looks in close detail at a typical upper-middle-class household and its social and historical background, combining original artifacts, clothes, and interiors with informative text to present an intimate portrait of a Victorian home.

May I introduce you to the Smiths: This is Mr. Smith, a good upright Englishman, and stern but loving Papa; Mrs. Smith, a perfect wife and mother, refined, gracious and lady-like; and their three children, Albert Eustace, Alice Louise, and John Percival. Albert is away at school just now, but Alice and John are right here, in the nursery. Oh, and Bobby. He’s the dog. Now come downstairs and meet the staff. This is Mrs. Cooper the cook, who keeps the Smiths very well fed indeed; Jane the parlormaid and Mary the housemaid, who keep the house beautifully clean and shining; and Ellen the nurse who looks after the children. To meet the Smiths and their servants, all you need do is travel back in time a hundred years or so. Just open this book....