During Queen Victoria's reign
many changes took place in the way people lived and worked.
Many of these changes were due to the inventions of machines
to transform farming and crofting practices.
There were still a lot of people working
as craftsmen but much of the work done on farms like ploughing
and harvesting crops, traditionally done by hand were
being replaced by machines. For example, a steam threshing
machine like that shown below would have traveled from farm
to farm.
For hundreds of years spinning and weaving
were cottage industries, the invention of new machinery,
meant factories could now mass produce these goods.
Between 1750 and 1821 Glasgow's population
exploded from just under 32,000 to over 147,000 people, becoming
the second largest city in Great Britian after London.
As people moved from the country into towns and demand for
goods became high.
Towns and cities needed supplies of food
and fuel, but also demanded less essential goods. Factory
production and improved transport hugely increased the range
of goods on sale.
More people, with a share in the wealth
which trade and industry had brought, could now afford to
buy them. Selling was promoted by advertising.
With more and more products and services
available, manufacturers and shopkeepers competed with each
other in their attempts to appeal to the customer.
Advertising grew as a way of informing the
public of what was available. It became increasingly colourful
and sophisticated.
