lOMoARcPSD|1485157
Week 5 - The Family in Britain, 1830-1939: Parents and
children: Week 5. Including seminar.
The Making of Modern Britain c1750-c1850 (University of Wolverhampton)
Studocu is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university
Downloaded by Ellie Dolman ()
, lOMoARcPSD|1485157
The Family in Britain, 1830-1939: Parents and children: Week 5.
James Archer Scottish- Nostalgic- Breadity of Childhood and Frigility of Flowers- Object of
love over economic asset.
Changing conceptions of childhood
• Earlier notions of the child as guilty of original sin – to be ‘broken’, remoulded and ‘saved’.
• More emphasis on the child as innocent, to be moulded by moral persuasion, not coercion.
• John Everett Millais, Bubbles, 1865-6
- Humans fall from grace.
- Lit to save souls.
- Childhood- Innocence, freedom, creativity and emotion.
- Child= Close to God.
- His grandson.
- Bubbles uses- fleeting nature of beauty before burst.
- Fleeting nature of life.
- Fragile nature of childhood.
Changing conceptions of childhood
• Importance of moral and religious education.
• Range of publications, games, organisations aimed at children’s moral improvement.
• Central role in upbringing of the mother, rather than the father. Idealisation of motherhood
and maternity.
• Influence of these ideas beyond middle class.
- Child gain currency.
- Moral and religious education- basic.
- Majority of children work to support family.
- Ideal child (19th-20th)- Domesticity, Education and Play.
- Vivian Zelda- US Socio- 1820s-30s- Emotionally priceless, change occurred.
- Fears of urbanisation ruining child’s education.
- Ill-moral individuals.
- Improve children’s morality.
- Trickle-down- Proper childhood well establish ed through values.
- Angel of the home impose moral teachings, up-bringing.
- Motherhood idealised.
Central role of the mother: George John Pinwell, King Pippin, 1866
- Pregnancy and childhood- Female nobility to sacrifice self for others.
- Children more be respectable- reflect mother’s upbringing.
- Motherhood idealised.
- Children seen to be father’s property up until a certain point.
- Country life.
- Role of mother providing continuously for child/
Childhood innocence invested with moral authority. E.g. Charles Dickens’ characters: Little Nell in The
Old Curiosity Shop, 1841
Downloaded by Ellie Dolman ()
Week 5 - The Family in Britain, 1830-1939: Parents and
children: Week 5. Including seminar.
The Making of Modern Britain c1750-c1850 (University of Wolverhampton)
Studocu is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university
Downloaded by Ellie Dolman ()
, lOMoARcPSD|1485157
The Family in Britain, 1830-1939: Parents and children: Week 5.
James Archer Scottish- Nostalgic- Breadity of Childhood and Frigility of Flowers- Object of
love over economic asset.
Changing conceptions of childhood
• Earlier notions of the child as guilty of original sin – to be ‘broken’, remoulded and ‘saved’.
• More emphasis on the child as innocent, to be moulded by moral persuasion, not coercion.
• John Everett Millais, Bubbles, 1865-6
- Humans fall from grace.
- Lit to save souls.
- Childhood- Innocence, freedom, creativity and emotion.
- Child= Close to God.
- His grandson.
- Bubbles uses- fleeting nature of beauty before burst.
- Fleeting nature of life.
- Fragile nature of childhood.
Changing conceptions of childhood
• Importance of moral and religious education.
• Range of publications, games, organisations aimed at children’s moral improvement.
• Central role in upbringing of the mother, rather than the father. Idealisation of motherhood
and maternity.
• Influence of these ideas beyond middle class.
- Child gain currency.
- Moral and religious education- basic.
- Majority of children work to support family.
- Ideal child (19th-20th)- Domesticity, Education and Play.
- Vivian Zelda- US Socio- 1820s-30s- Emotionally priceless, change occurred.
- Fears of urbanisation ruining child’s education.
- Ill-moral individuals.
- Improve children’s morality.
- Trickle-down- Proper childhood well establish ed through values.
- Angel of the home impose moral teachings, up-bringing.
- Motherhood idealised.
Central role of the mother: George John Pinwell, King Pippin, 1866
- Pregnancy and childhood- Female nobility to sacrifice self for others.
- Children more be respectable- reflect mother’s upbringing.
- Motherhood idealised.
- Children seen to be father’s property up until a certain point.
- Country life.
- Role of mother providing continuously for child/
Childhood innocence invested with moral authority. E.g. Charles Dickens’ characters: Little Nell in The
Old Curiosity Shop, 1841
Downloaded by Ellie Dolman ()
