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2 deposit. In a desperate attempt to feed her starving infants, Mrs. Biddell pawned the clothing she had made, thus accruing a debt she could not pay. Mrs. Biddell, whose first name has not been recorded, was sent to a workhouse, and her ultimate fate is unknown; however, her story became a catalyst
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living in wretched conditions. In what was, at that time, common practice, Mrs. Biddell sewed trousers and shirts in her home using materials given to her by her employer for which she was forced to give a
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in 1843 and quickly became a phenomenon, centering people's attention not only on Mrs. Biddell's case, but on the conditions of workers in general. Though Hood was not politically
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Following is the first stanza of the poem; for the complete text, see the
Wikisource link below.
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for those who actively opposed the wretched conditions of
England's
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Threads of Life: A History of the World
Through the Eye of a Needle
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It was written in honour of a Mrs. Biddell, a widow and
153:. Chichester, United Kingdom: John Wiley and Sons, Ltd
46:"The Seamstress" or "For Only One Short Hour" (1854)
242:Works originally published in Punch (magazine)
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127:And still with a voice of dolorous pitch
19:For the 1908 film based on the poem, see
197:A Fair Day's Wage for a Fair Day's Work?
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147:Shea, Victor; Whitla, William (2014).
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150:Victorian Literature: An Anthology
129:She sang 'The Song of the Shirt!'
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178:. ABRAMS, Incorporated (Ignition)
207:Thomas Hood: His Life and Times
121:Plying her needle and thread –
199:( London: Ashgate Press, 2007)
119:A woman sat in unwomanly rags,
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
