"Downton Abbey" portrays a grand house with many servants, but what was life really like for a typical Victorian servant? Maids of all work were often the only servant and had to do all the work!
1920S Maid Arriving at the great houses of 1920s London, fifteen-year-old Margaret's life in service was about to begin...As a kitchen m...
Hanna(h) Cullwick, scrubbing the floor. (source) After the Famine struck Ireland in 1847, millions of Irish immigrants landed on America’s shores. Â Many of them were women, young and unmarri…
Long before photographers like Bill Cunningham and The Sartorialist were documenting street style, photographer Edward Linley Sambourne captured the Edwardian fashion of the city's affluent Kensington neighborhood.
The Victorian dairy maid duties ranged from cleaning the farmyard to skimming milk and extracting cream. She played a crucial role in the dairy business.
Margaret Powell recalls in a fascinating memoir what it was like to be treated as less than human by her wealthy employers in London and at Hove.
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"I curtsey many times each day in this job. At first I found [it] very strange and even awkward, but now it comes as second nature and is ev...
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Once upon a time there were two old maid sisters who had never been with a man before and who being now middle aged were both still virgins. One Friday
While writing novels about a Victorian manor house, I came upon an interesting tidbit—one that I didn’t believe at first. For it makes no sense. When a girl became a maid of any sort—whether kitchen or chambermaid—she had to provide her own uniforms. A black dress and white apron for formal occasions when she was seen by the public, and a simpler dress to wear when she was doing the hard work. This would cost between £4-5 (equivalent to £228-285 today, or $354-442.) In 1900, with a yearly wage of only £22 pounds (£1255/ $1948) she had to provide her own clothes? She had to spend nearly 20% of her first year’s wage on her uniforms. They also had to do their work wearing a corset. No thank you. Ever, actually. The Lady’s Maid, who was often of some social position, usually knew a bit about fashion so they could be of use in advising, dressing, (and mending) their mistress’ clothing. They could wear normal clothing, even castoffs from her mistress (£32 (£1824/$2831.) The Housekeeper, earning £45 (£2567/$3985), usually wore a dark dress, and the butler--the highest paid at £60 (£3423/$5314)—wore a formal black suit. The cook (who I would consider the most important servant) earned £40 (£2282/$3543.) Their employers only paid for the uniforms of the footmen—the fancy-dancy livery. The footmen were paid £26 a year (£1484/$2304.) The fancier the livery, the more status for the family. They even were given a stipend to pay for the powder for their hair. So the footmen, who made decent money, didn’t have to pay for anything. No wonder they often had a haughty attitude. And if they were over six foot tall? They got paid extra. And if they were a matching pair…zounds. Now that was something to brag about. Having good calves was also important and some footmen wore "falsies" to pad their lacking calves. It looks like the two in the photo at the right could have used a little extra padding. Sorry, chaps. I'm just calling them as I see them. Just to give you the full picture, the lowest position was the scullery maid, who made £12 (£685 /$1063.). And the lowest male position of hallboy got £16 (£913 $1417.) I’m still learning about servants—and there’s so much to learn. But paying for uniforms? That seems unfair. And yet… I remember working in a restaurant that had a uniform, and I had to purchase it. But no way did it cost 20% of my annual income. The good thing about being a servant is that their room and board was provided, so they had few expenses. But they also had little time off and had to suffer the heirarchy of their employers--and the strict heirarchy of their own servant-world (more on that in another post.) I’ll also be writing more about the duties of servants later. But I can tell you now, I’m very happy I've never had to empty a chamber pot. Want to read more about servants in action? Try my Manor House Series (Downton Abbey fans will love it!) //Nancy
A woman getting ready with the help of her maid, 1921.
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