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Coming of Age as a Worker



Many working women of the 19th century (including  
Jane Eyre herself) felt trapped, like a caged bird.
From The Sick Room by Emma Brownlow, photographed in the Foundling Museum

Foundlings were stripped of their individuality, put in 
uniforms, and raised to all pursue the same professions.
Photographed at the Foundling Museum

Poor children and orphans could only expect to become servants or soldiers,
both respectable jobs which nevertheless involved hard work and little pay.
Taking Leave by Emma Brownlow, photographed at the Foundling Museum

A governess may be as well educated as a women of class,but that does not 
mean she receives the same benefits, luxuries, or esteem as the woman of class.
Photographed at the Geffrye Museum

Some working women appreciated that, unlike the women they served, 
they were able to experience the accomplishment of a day of hard work.
Photographed in the Geffrye Museum


After their pupils were educated and their job was done, governesses
often found themselves jobless, poor, and at the mercy of charity.
The Family Governess by Joseph Kenny Meadows, photographed at the Geffrye Museum

Comments

  1. Professor SteeleJuly 7, 2017 at 8:31 AM

    What a fantastic first week's blog. I love how carefully you curated (and composed) your images and also how your captions crisply described the connections of image to theme. Well done!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownJuly 7, 2017 at 3:35 PM

      I appreciate the alliteration in your comment.

      Delete
  2. UnknownJuly 8, 2017 at 8:48 AM

    I really like the detail that your images capture and show-case key elements. Your descriptions really helped give deeper context beyond just what the pictures present.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownJuly 8, 2017 at 10:22 AM

    These pictures are great! I love the first picture that captures the detail of the caged bird... I have never noticed how frequently the "caged bird" analogy appears when depicting women of this era.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownJuly 9, 2017 at 3:19 AM

    I love the formatting you used for your entry! Likewise, I really appreciate how you captured the obscure bird reference, and were able to compare it to both growing up as a worker and to Jane Eyre, despite it being found in the Foundling Museum, where one might think there are no bird analogies. Great work!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Alexis MooreJuly 10, 2017 at 6:04 AM

    Great captions! I really like the focus of your pictures, especially the one with the caged bird. They perfectly capture the idea of coming of age as a worker.

    ReplyDelete

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