The Edwardian era, later known as the ‘Golden Age’, promoted ‘leisurely’ time. Fondly remembered for long hazy summer days, with the rich enjoying endless garden parties and banquets.
The working class were treated as humans, not as machines. There remained a huge difference in the financial standing between the classes however.
The nation saw the demise of child labour. The Boy Scout movement, founded in 1907 by Lord Baden Powell, encouraged boys to have a sense of duty and good citizenship.
Working women were gaining more reputable jobs, like typists, enhancing the status of women in the workplace. The Suffragette movement, supporting the struggle for women to vote and hold office, gathered pace.
In 1906, the militant campaign began. Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters founded the Women’s Social and Political Union. Women often resorted to violence, some went to prison, but the fight went on.
A set of striking colorized photos from Dutchsteammachine-archive that shows what life looked like during Edwardian Britain.