Nineteenth-century Britain experienced rapid development accelerated by the Industrial Revolution. From medical, scientific and technological advancements to changes in population growth, this transformation dramatically affected social and living conditions at the time. The construction of roads and the National Railway Network stimulated travel and allowed greater accessibility to the city.

In the 1850s London was the most populous city in the world. People from all over Britain, and further afield, moved there looking for work and opportunities for their families. However, the struggle and competition to find employment and to live in the city meant class division and social problems brought on by poverty were increasingly common. Grappling with uncertainty and instability, social leaders encouraged hard work, responsibility and religious conformity.

Pre-Raphaelite artists captured these realities and other aspects of modern life. Noble and heroic acts of labour are evident in works by Ford Madox Brown and John Everett Millais, while financial struggle and the issue of ‘surplus’ women are seen in the paintings of Robert Braithwaite Martineau and John Roddam Spencer Stanhope.