Why Victorian Matchgirls Had To Fight For Their Lives

Send us Fan Mail 💬 The East End Matchwomen produced one of Victorian Britain’s most important everyday products - but the job could be deadly. In Victorian London, the East End was seen as the slums. High society looked down on the people who inhabited this part of the city - so the horrors that faced East End workers comes as no surprise. ⚡ In this episode we hear from Labour historian Dr Louise Raw, author of Striking a Light: The Bryant & May Matchwomen and Their Place in History.  Louise tells us about the terrible conditions these women faced - and how these so-called “uneducated” workers took the country by storm, starting a strike that rippled through Britain, helping to inspire the modern labour movement. Read Louise’s book: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/striking-a-light-9781441114266/  Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou  Email: [email protected] Image Credits: Matchboxes: Wellcome, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Skull with missing jaw: Wellcome, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Matchbox: Agnat, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Learn more about the ArtMuse podcast here: https://www.artmusepodcast.com/ Thanks to Grace Anna for partnering with us! Support the show