Bread Winner: An Intimate History of the Victorian Economy by Emma Griffin

Extended Synopsis

While nineteenth-century Britain experienced unprecedented macroeconomic expansion and rising industrial wages, the fruits of national prosperity were deeply fractured along gender lines. Working-class women, largely barred from securing direct viable incomes, were acutely dependent on the "breadwinner wage" of their husbands. When an income failed, or was squandered by errant domestic partners, entire families were instantly plunged into inescapable poverty. Unlocking the literal doorways of Victorian England, this study reviews the intimate financial realities of daily life by drawing upon more than 600 working-class autobiographies—including over 200 rare accounts penned by women—fundamentally revising our modern understanding of the era's domestic economy.

Author Bio & Accolades

Emma Griffin is a highly celebrated British social historian and academic. Widely lauded for her sensitive, deeply empirical archival research into the Industrial Revolution, her work has won widespread critical acclaim. Bread Winner was named a "Best History Book of the Year" by the Daily Telegraph and praised by the Wall Street Journal as a powerful story of domestic realities and structural pressures.

Reader Targeting

Highly recommended for enthusiasts of Victorian history, students of economic and labor history, and researchers tracking gender dynamics, domestic finances, and working-class social development in the nineteenth century.

Product Specifications