rich and poor. During the Victorian era,
there was an industrial revolution. This
meant that lots of people who used to
work on farms in the countryside moved
to the cities to get jobs in factories.
Lots of jobs were created for people who
needed money. But it meant that cities
became overcrowded with poorly paid
people trying to support their families. Help.
Help.
In the Victorian times, quality of life
depended on whether you were rich. Yeah.
Yeah.
Or poor.
Poor people worked as rat catchers.
I get it.
Street sweepers.
I've got it.
Matchstick makers.
I've got it. door in factories.
I got it.
I can't do it.
They work long hours for few luxuries
and little money.
Oh, fiddle fattle. Families would live
in damp, filthy apartments, often in one
room, and had to share a public bathroom.
There were no underground pipes. The
sewage ran through the streets. You can
smell it.
You can smell it.
Lots of children died because of disease.
disease.
Sometimes if a family was extremely poor
and could not pay rent, they lived in a workhouse.
Children did not go to school. Poor
families sent their children to work to
earn money so the family could eat
sweet and sour chicken. They only ate
what they could afford. Living on a diet
of bread, dripping, gravy, tea, and
vegetables. Sometimes these were old or rotten.
rotten. [Music]
[Music]
Meat was a luxury.
Most people lived off potatoes.
Clothes were secondhand and made from
wool or cotton. If they got damaged,
they had to be patched up or mended.
They were dark colors to hide the dirt.
Doctors, lawyers, bankers, factory
owners, merchants, and shopkeepers
enjoyed a more luxurious lifestyle.
Oh yeah.
Outdoors, they wore hats or bonnets and
gloves. Men carried pocket watches and handkerchiefs.
In the evening, a lady would change into
a satin or silk dress for dinner.
Excuse me.
Car games were very popular in Victorian times.
times. Yeah.
Yeah.
Sports like fishing, tennis, and cricket
were only played by the rich.
Oh boy.
Poor people did not have time or money
for entertainment like this. A boohoo.
boohoo.
Very few people were so wealthy that
they didn't have to work. They were
called the aristocracy. Ooh,
Ooh,
they lived in big houses, had lots of
servants, and were wellfed on meat,
vegetables, cheese, eggs, milk, tle,
They were clean, wore beautiful clothes,
and went to the theater. [Applause]
[Applause]
They enjoyed holidays at the seaside,
and their children played with expensive
toys. Ho ho ho. Merry Christmas to everybody.
everybody.
Many wealthy children had a nanny or a
governness to help look after them and
teach them how to read, write, learn
languages, draw, paint, and play music. [Music]
