This poem extols the virtues of an ideal woman during Victorian times. Coventry Patmore wrote this poem to memorialize his deceased wife, Emily. It chronicles a young, virtuous woman’s life from youth to marriage and all that a man should expect from their devoted wives. This poem was published in four installations in 1858, but didn’t gain popularity until later in 19^th century. This popularity made it a common fixture in Victorian libraries. The term “Angel in the home” became a universal term for women of this era.

In the 19^th century, child labor was not a new invention. Poor families have always influenced children to enter the workforce as soon as they were able bring in income. Additionally, children often made practical and cheap employees for big businesses. By the mid-1800s, it was the norm for children to work a dozen hours a day doing hard labor, often in coal mines. Around the same time, the working conditions had become so bad that legislature and literature used their influence to improve working circumstances for child workers.