In the 19th century girls might ‘go into service’ (become servants) from an early age, away from home, and would be expected to fit in with the customs of the sometimes intimidating and hierarchical establishments they worked in. Pamphlets such as this were intended to provide guidance and instruction for young servants. In many houses the master would lead family prayers twice a day for all the members of the household, and it is easy to see how religion could be brought into the service of the management of the house.
- Article by:
- Kathryn Hughes
- The middle classes
Professor Kathryn Hughes describes how the expansion of the middle classes in the 19th century led to a new emphasis on upward mobility, etiquette and conspicuous consumption.