General Living / Working Conditions

Life in the city during the late 1800s was very different depending from what aspect you look at it from. This time period saw rapid industrial growth, and thus the growth of factories that needed a plentiful amount of workers to complete the tasks needed to be done in the factories, often with no regard to the workers health, or well-being. The rise in need of workers led to a direct need for housing. Most workers lived in tenement houses, which were often overcrowded, poorly kept, and highly unsanitary. In “The Working Girls of Boston”, the horrific living conditions of the “everyday worker” were outlined, and brought to light. The desperate situation that these girls and other workers were in was seen in their necessity for housing, that these girls had no greater option than to rent a room, often just a space in which they were able to sleep, regardless of the poor and often unlivable sanitation.

During this same time period, tycoons like Carnegie and Rockefeller, came out and dominated their particular industry of business in which they ventured, granting them a bountiful profit. Being at the top of the food chain, poor working conditions didn’t apply to them. They made a plethora of money, and didn’t even have to contend with the obstacles the working-class was put through, who barely made a fraction of that of Carnegie’s and Rockefeller’s. The lifestyles of the rich in the late 19th century were a reflection of the wealth that they acquired and wished to flaunt. This time period saw the rise of the Victorian-esque homes being built to further boast their lavish lifestyles.